


Dreams of Magic

by Rosalina_Lucia



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Magic, Witches, Wizards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-26 19:46:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 34,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30111075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosalina_Lucia/pseuds/Rosalina_Lucia
Summary: Adaline Hemmingway's first year at Hogwarts is upon her, and all she wants to do is learn to be the best witch she can be. She quickly makes friends and settles into herself, avoiding trouble like the good student she is (and inevitably getting into a little bit of it anyway). What she doesn't anticipate is forming a friendship- and perhaps something more- with the boy in her grade famous for his good looks, cunning, and cut-throat attitude.Disclaimer: This story is, of course, set in the Harry Potter universe and remotely within the context of the Sorcerer's Stone. However, this plotline will not directly follow the first book. I'm taking the general story and the characters and putting my own spin on them- as if it's just shy of an alternate universe. Characters may act a little bit differently than they would canonically and things may happen out of order (some may even act the same, who knows?), but that's the creative license I'm taking for this story. The world may not belong to me, but the story is mine to tell (so if things are a little different, please don't bite my head off). Happy reading!
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s)





	1. What Dreams are Made Of

"Sweetheart, don't worry!" Addy's mother cried, frenzied. "I'm sure you'll be fine..." Addy smiled at her mom, patting her shoulder to quell her worries. She was clearly more worried than Addy was, fretting and putting imaginary flyaway hairs back in their place on her daughter's head.

"Denise, relax," Her dad said casually, wrapping a strong arm around his wife's slender shoulders. "Addy'll be fine. We know how we raised her: she'll fit right in anywhere." Grinning up at her father, Addy nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, Mum," She supplemented, "I think I'll have a good time." Mrs. Hemmingway looked at her daughter for a moment, then nodded too.

"You're... You're right," She said, wiping tears from her eyes, "Now, let's not have you being late on your first day." Gripping the handle of her suitcase tighter, Addy couldn't help the small smile that donned her face. She was finally, finally getting to go to Hogwarts! She'd spent years of her childhood listening to her father's stories of going to wizard school, and she wanted nothing more than to do the same.

Just as she had practiced a few weeks ago, Addy leaned casually against a wall, making sure no other Muggles were looking her way. Once she saw the way was clear, she strode confidently through a stone wall and onto Platform 9 ¾. Her parents followed her a few moments later.

"Alright, dear, on you get!" Seeming to feel better from the pep talk, Mrs. Hemmingway had a small smile on her face. "Better get settled in, I'm sure it's a long ride."

"Good luck to Adaline Audrey Hemmingway! She's beginning her journey of witchcraft and wizardry!" Her father called with a bright, cheerful announcer's voice. Laughing, Addy hugged both of her parents goodbye; though it was a few more minutes before Addy actually got on the train- her mother teared up again.

Addy looked around the train car she had stepped into. There wasn't anyone else on it, so she stowed her luggage above one of the seats. Remembering that she had to change, she pulled out her school robes before zipping all her bags closed. She had barely had the chance to close the storage cart's lid before someone cleared their throat behind her.

When Addy turned around, her face immediately broke out into another grin. A boy was staring back at her with one side of his mouth curved into a smile. His face was pale and lightly freckled, and he had curly brown hair that was buzzed short at the sides. He already had his floor-length robes on, and stood before her with an odd, boyish grace.

"Good afternoon," Addy said cheerfully, greeting the boy.

"Good afternoon," He echoed, "I'm Jay, and I couldn't help but notice you standing over here." Addy looked over his shoulder at the empty train car, and she supposed that was fair.

"Well, I'm glad you decided to say hello!" Addy said earnestly. "I'm Adaline, but Addy's good too." Jay moved to store his luggage next to hers.

"Oh, well that's not fair, if we're sharing full first names." Confused, Addy furrowed her eyebrows.

"What?" She asked, and Jay laughed.

"I'm Jerusalem," He corrected, saying it just as Addy had, "But Jay's good too." Addy chuckled.

"Are you a first year, too?" Jay asked, sitting casually in a seat. Addy nodded.

"Yes, and I'm quite excited-" She began, but before Addy could get another word out, the connecting door further down in the train car opened smoothly. Jay turned in his seat to see who had arrived, too.

In stepped three boys, laughing about something. The one in front had nearly white hair, slicked smartly back. The other two boys behind him were both brunettes, with no expression on their round, full faces. Addy couldn't help but stare at the trio, and Jay raised an eyebrow in slight judgement. The one in front was saying something to the other two, but as he turned to look in front of him, he stopped talking. A sly smirk slid across the boy's lips, and he sauntered over to where Addy and Jay were.

"And hello to you, too," The boy said to Addy, looking amused. "Who might you be?" He asked.

"I'm Addy," She answered, always glad to meet new people. "And you are?"

"Draco Malfoy," He said proudly, slicking his bright blonde hair back and grinning. A confident smirk was etched into his face, and his stance in front of his other friends exuded an air of leadership.

"And this is Crabbe and Goyle." Draco gestured to the duo behind him. Addy nodded to them politely, but neither made a move to distinguish himself from the other. After a prolonged silence (in which she was expecting the two to introduce themselves), Addy spoke up.

"Well, I must go change, so I'll leave you boys to introduce yourselves." She slung her robes over her shoulder, walking down the car toward the doors through which Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle had come. Just before she left, Addy glanced over her shoulder. Jay was staring after her with a don't leave me with them look on his face, and she giggled quietly.

You'll be fine!, she mouthed back, waving a hand to dispel his worries. She walked through the doors, but before she could even get a step further, someone stumbled into her.

"Oh!-" Surprised, Addy reached out to catch the person who was mere inches away from falling flat on their face. Distantly, a train whistle was heard, and it became louder and sharper before the train pulled out of the station with another lurch.

"Up you go," Addy said once the train stabilized, pulling the person in her arms to their feet. When the person rose to full height, Addy saw that a boy stood in front of her. An extremely red face accompanied his red hair, and he looked about ready to die of embarrassment.

"Thanks for... for catching me." He said, clearly embarrassed. Addy smiled at him, trying to put him at ease, and he only flushed further.

"Don't mention it," Addy said, suppressing a laugh. "My name's Addy, may I have yours?"

"I'm Ron Weasley," He said, clearing his throat and standing taller. "And these are my friends." He gestured behind him to where three more kids sat, and they all perked up when Ron included them.

"I'm Hermoine Granger," The girl said at once. She had curly brown hair like Addy, though it was lighter and more frizzy, and she had also donned her school robes already. "It's very nice to meet you." Quickly after, the boy on her right introduced himself.

"I'm Neville," He said, "And if you see a small green toad around, please give him back to me."

"I'll make sure to do that," Addy laughed.

"And I'm Harry Potter," The boy in the back spoke up. He, like Addy, was not dressed in his robes yet. He had unruly dark hair and green eyes behind large glasses, and his smile had a crooked charm to it.

"It's nice to meet you all!" Addy said, thoroughly pleased at having met so many people already. "I'm glad to have seen so many new faces today." Ron raised an eyebrow.

"We're glad to meet you too, but I can't help but notice that you just walked in from the car that Draco was in." Addy nodded.

"That's right, he introduced himself. He's confident, that's for sure, but he seems nice enough." Ron coughed as he went to take his seat, and it was Harry's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"If Draco seemed nice, then you must've met a completely different Draco than we did," He deadpanned. Addy's face shifted into a slight frown.

"Malfoy, right?" She clarified, and he smiled.

"Yeah, but I was just joking. I don't think there's many people on this train named Draco, it's definitely the same one." Harry said, laughing. It was Addy's turn to blush; the joke had gone clear over her head.

"Right," Addy responded, "Of course." To distract from her slight embarrassment, Addy perched on the edge of a seat across from Ron.

"Addy, are your parents wizards?" Hermoine asked, briskly changing the subject. Grateful for the change, she answered at once.

"One of them is," She replied. "My mum went to regular school. What about you guys?"

"My parents are both Muggles," Hermoine answered.

"I've got only wizard blood in me, far as I know," Ron said cheerfully.

"And mine were both wizards, too," Harry said, and Addy took note of the word 'were'. When she thought about it and looked closely, Harry looked very slightly familiar and the last name 'Potter' rung a bell in her head. She remembered seeing pictures of her father with his Hogwarts friends in the strange moving picture albums, and people named James and Lily Potter were in many of them.

"Ah," Addy said after a moment, connecting the dots in her head. "I knew the last name Potter sounded familiar. Our parents were friends; my dad and yours used to get along very well, he talked about their adventures all the time. 'I used to get into trouble with James daily', I would always hear. Maybe we can be friends too!" Harry looked absolutely shell-shocked, but after a moment, a small smile appeared on his face.

"Yeah," He said, a little absently, "I think we can be." He stared at Addy, not seeing any traces of insincerity in her face. She looked as she had for the past few minutes- curious and excited. He didn't see why she'd lie about it anyway, as most people lost their minds when they heard his last name. The amount of times he'd heard that's him and yeah, he's the Potter one just that morning were ridiculous, but this girl recognized him for a completely different reason. Now, Addy was no longer the only curious one in the room.

After a few more minutes of pleasant conversation, Addy excused herself to go change into her school robes. A swift process (aside from the workout of putting her long hair back up into its pigtails), she was in and out of the changing compartment in no time. Her initial intention was to return to the train car with Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Harry, but as she was about to sit down in her previous seat, Addy heard a yell from the car where she'd left Jay and Draco. She stood straight abruptly, glancing at the others before walking through the doors.

"Don't step on it!" Was the first thing she'd heard, causing her to immediately dart sideways- into Draco. The two collapsed onto the ground in a heap, and were a tangle of arms, long legs, Addy's hair, and school robes.

"Ouch, your fingers-" Addy began, pulling away from Draco with a grimace.

"Yeah, yeah..." Draco was shaking his hand to try and untangle himself from the mess of curls, but it wasn't quite working.

"Okay, stop," Addy commanded, and he actually did. She sat up, allowing Draco to do the same, and brushed the dirt off her robes. They were now kneeling a mere foot apart, Draco's arm still halfway extended and his hand lost in Addy's hair.

"Don't pull so hard," Addy requested, looking up at Draco as best she could with her head bent down, "And try to relax your hand instead of shaking it." After a long moment of him staring at her, he took her advice. Gently, his pale hand maneuvered out of Addy's maze of curls and belonged to him once more.

Draco stood up as quickly as possible, and turned his back on her.

"Where did that stupid frog go, anyway?" He asked, voice unnecessarily loud.

"It's a toad, moron," Jay chastised from across the car, "And I have it here." Addy was still on the floor trying to sort her hair out, but stopped when she saw the little creature sitting in Jay's palms.

"Hey, that's Neville's toad!" She jumped up quickly, walking over to Jay and bending to eye-level with the toad. It croaked meekly, and Addy giggled.

"Sorry for almost stepping on you," She apologized, petting the top of his head with one finger. "May I take him back?" She stood straight and directed that question at Jay, and without questioning, he held the toad out to her.

"All yours," He offered, "As long as you come back and talk to me this time." Addy grinned, nodding.

"I promise, I'll be back as soon as this little toad is back with his owner." Jay nodded, and Addy accepted the toad and walked carefully back to the other traincar. She was almost dizzy, keeping track of who was in which car and walking back and forth. If it hadn't been for Ron's clear dislike of Draco, Addy would have asked the two boys to join her so they could all talk together.

"Neville?" Addy began, but she didn't make it more than a step into the cart before he was on his feet.

"My toad!" He cried. The contents of his lap- a few assorted knick-knacks- fell and scattered across the floor, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Thank you for bringing him back," Neville said earnestly, taking a seat with his toad safely returned. He seemed to completely forget about his lost items, but Addy left it alone.

"You're welcome," She said with a smile. Turning back through the doors as promised, Addy walked into her original train car to find Draco and Jay facing off. Each stood at one end of the car, eyes narrowed and arms crossed. Addy rolled her eyes, beginning to sense a pattern.

"What is it this time?" She asked as she moved around Draco. She quickly grabbed a book from her suitcase and moved to choose a seat.

"He's a moron," Jay repeated, scowling.

"Now, that's not very nice," Addy reprimanded in the most calm, purposefully pretentious, and mock-placating voice she could. It took both Jay and Draco a moment to realize she was being sarcastic.

"How are you already arguing?" She asked, settling down in her seat and regarding the two boys. "You don't even know each other."

"I know he's a moron," Jay shot back, and Draco made a face.

"Say it once more," Draco retaliated, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "It's poetry, honestly. Please, impress us further with your extensive vocabulary."

"Alright, stop arguing," Addy commanded. "Seriously." Even when sat down and in a relaxed position, Addy knew how to command a room. The two boys listened reluctantly, each relaxing and unclenching their fists. Jay wandered over to his bag, shuffling the contents inside in an effort to look busy. Draco was doing his best to look like he wasn't still scowling at Jay. Content, Addy opened her book and began to read.

"Who are you to tell me what to do, anyway?" Draco questioned, suddenly turning on her.

"Who am I? I already told you, I'm Addy," She responded easily, "But you listened, so clearly who I am doesn't make that much of a difference." Her words were not meant to anger, but Draco huffed in response. He turned and walked out of the room, and for the first time, Addy noticed that his two friends were gone.

"Hey, where'd the other two go- Crabbe and Goyle?" She asked, and as Jay returned to his seat across from her, he shrugged.

"I don't know, they walked out a few minutes ago." Jay sat forward, regarding Addy closely. "How did you do that, by the way?" He asked. Eyebrow raised, Addy asked,

"Do what?"

"You... Got me to listen. That doesn't happen very often, and I've been told I don't follow directions very well. And that blonde idiot doesn't strike me as the best listener, either." Addy laughed, shrugging.

"It's a skill," She answered, eyes falling back to the pages of her book. "If there's two things I'm good at, it's not keeping my mouth shut and resolving confrontation. Sometimes those things work against one another, but since I hate seeing people fight, they work together for good." Jay leaned back, still looking at Addy. He didn't quite know what to think of her, but something told him she would be one of his closest friends in the coming year.

As Addy kept on reading, she smiled to herself. Here she was, sat on the Hogwarts Express on her way to becoming a witch, just like her father had been. Her father's fantastical stories and wondrous tales were about to become her reality, and happiness bubbled up inside her just thinking about it. She was determined to be the best witch she could.

This, Addy thought to herself as she turned a page, is what dreams are made of.


	2. Assemble the Trio

"Alright, firs' years! Line up and wait your turn to get in the boats!" A tall (giant, really) man who had introduced himself as Hagrid yelled. Addy and Jay stood near Ron, Harry, and Hermione, who Jay had taken to calling 'The Trio'. They had all gotten off the train together, and had been herded toward a large, dark lake. Hogwarts loomed across the banks of the lake, a shadow in the day, watching over the first-years as they waited to be taken across the still waters. Ron and Hermione especially were paying close attention to their fellow first-years and Harry let his gaze wander, but Addy and Jay were transfixed at the sights across the lake.

Addy didn't know how all of the older kids weren't mesmerized by the gorgeous creatures pulling the giant carriages they were all getting into. The creatures looked almost like horses, but Addy knew better than to think regular animals would be pulling Hogwarts carriages. The creatures tossed their manes, occasionally baring sharp teeth that resembled daggers. They stood tall and proud, muscles rippling under matte black skin.

"You see them too?" Jay nudged Addy, pulling her out of her trance. She nodded, glancing over at him before turning her sights back to the creatures.

"Aren't they just... mesmerizing?" She asked, squinting to get a better view. "What beautiful creatures, but no one is paying attention to them." Jay nodded.

"Hey, Ron." At the sound of his name Ron turned around, and Jay pointed across the lake to the creatures. "Aren't those horses pretty cool?" Ron followed Jay's direction and looked across the lake. He furrowed his eyebrows- all he saw were several carriages being pulled away by, assumingly, magic.

"What horses?" Hermoine asked, appearing beside Ron. Addy pointed along with Jay, confused as to how they were missing them.

"The giant black creatures pulling the carriages. Aren't they wonderful?" She gushed, but Hermoine furrowed her brow.

"I don't know what you're seeing, but those carriages aren't being pulled by anything." She turned away after casting Addy an odd look.

"Yeah, mate," Ron agreed after a moment, "I have no idea what you're talking about." Addy and Jay both stared at each other, confused,

"Yer up! Get on the boat, ye three!" Hagrid called, his voice suddenly closer than before. Jay snapped out of it first, grabbing Addy by the arm and pulling her into a boat. Another girl boarded with them, and then their boat set off across the serene, dim lake. Clearing her head of the thought of the black beasts, Addy turned to the girl. She was quiet and had a demure air about her- she had her ankles crossed delicately under her seat and sat with her hands clasped in her lap. Her dark hair hung bone-straight, stopping bluntly at her waistline. She had been staring out over the waters with a calm look on her face and sat completely still, almost giving her the look of a porcelain doll.

"Hello," Addy began, catching the girl's attention. The girl merely nodded, but gave her a small smile.

"I'm Addy, it's nice to meet you." The girl held her hand out after a moment, and Addy shook it.

"Sorry if you didn't want to talk, but since we were in the same boat, I thought I'd say hi." Addy's cheeks warmed slightly- more often than she'd like to admit, she had to apologize for being too forward. She got lucky with people like Jay and Ron who were generally friendly or extroverted, but many introverts were easily overwhelmed by her open personality.

"It's alright, I appreciate it." The girl's voice matched her demeanor- calm, cool, and soft. "My name is Mei-Lin, it's nice to meet you as well." Addy smiled, glad that she was invested in the conversation.

"And I'm Jay," Jay called from behind the two girls, "Addy's best friend." At that Addy turned around, smiling but raising her eyebrows.

"You're my best friend now, yeah?" She asked. "I'm holding you to that." Jay grinned mischievously.

"I'm sure you will," He responded, "Many would kill to have a best friend like me." He jokingly ran a hand through his curls and straightened his tie, rising a laugh out of Addy. She turned back to Mei-Lin, smiling.

"Yeah, this is Jay. He's definitely... something, but I guess he's alright." Jay scoffed from behind Addy.

"Um, I am right here, Adaline," He said, pretending to sound offended. Mei-Lin giggled.

"You guys are funny," She said quietly, seeming to relax slightly. Addy absolutely beamed.

The trio of new friends rode across the lake with no incidents. Jay and Addy divided their time between cracking jokes and pretending to bicker with one another, successfully making Mei-Lin laugh and be more open to talking. By the time they reached the other side and lined up with the other first years, the three were chatting amicably. They only stopped talking (and so did everyone else) when the front doors of Hogwarts opened. A woman stood before them, one commanding glare silencing the noisy newcomers.

"Good morning," She said, her voice sharp but not mean. "Welcome to your first year at Hogwarts. You will all be trained to be the greatests witches and wizards you could possibly be, with your education in the hands of capable professors. I am Professor McGonagall, the leader of the Gryffindor house. Come in in a single file line, and line up according to your last name. The sorting into the houses will soon begin." The next thirty minutes were a bit of a blur as the trio of friends got separated. Addy simply followed directions and did as she was told, a skill that she and Jay had had an argument about in the boat (Jay hated following directions, Addy had mastered it). Being organized by last name, Addy and Mei-Lin ended up back next to one another, and Jay was somewhere down the line behind them both.

When they were all in line, the Sorting Hat chanted its yearly song, and Professor McGonagall wasted no time in beginning to read off the first years' names. This, too, seemed to fly by; Addy watched excitedly as student after student put the hat on and were directed to their new tables, where the (most of) older kids welcomed them with whoops and cheers.

"I'm nervous," Mei-Lin whispered to Addy after awhile. There were four more people in front of her and then it would be her turn.

"What for?" Addy asked. She was ready to get sorted. Her father and mother had both been Gryffindors, but Addy hoped she would be put into Ravenclaw. Their innate curiosity and love of acquiring wisdom had always drawn her to their house.

"I have to go up there in front of everyone." Mei-Lin looked absolutely petrified as the next two people went and were sorted, leaving only one boy between herself and the hat.

"Oh..." Addy faltered. She hadn't assumed that her fear would revolve around a confrontation of sorts (though Mei-Lin wouldn't even have to speak, and Addy told her so).

"At least you don't have to talk, right?" Addy pointed out, and Mei-Lin had to agree. "All you have to do is sit, I guess, and it tells you where to be." Mei-Lin nodded.

"Thanks, Addy." She looked slightly more calm, and took a deep breath as Professor McGonagall called her name.

"Mei-Lin Han." She walked forward, black hair a rippling curtain as she did so, and sat on the stool. Perhaps only five seconds had passed before the hat called out,

"Ravenclaw!" The table draped in blue and bronze cheered, welcoming their newest member. Mei-Lin smiled shakily at Addy over her shoulder, walking to join her new house.

"Adaline Hemmingway." Excited, Addy skipped forward and sat on the stool, setting the hat on her head. It immediately began to speak to her.

"Now look at you! All sorts of different talents, yes..." The hat began. Addy began pleading internally for Ravenclaw extra-hard, as Mei-Lin was there too.

"Ravenclaw, huh?" The hat asked, reading her thoughts. "That fits you. Although Hufflepuff would do you well, with that kind of devotion to your friends. Or Slytherin; you've got some cunning blood in you, you'd fit right in with them. Even Gryffindor would be a match, there's probably courage streaming through that head of yours." Addy sighed, closing her eyes.

Please, let me be a Ravenclaw, she pleaded with the hat, and it abated.

"Alright, so it is for you," It said, voice retreating. "Ravenclaw!" The hat announced to the school. The Ravenclaw table whooped and cheered again, and Addy grinned and took off the hat as she ran to Mei-Lin. She held up her hand in a high-five and Mei-Lin smacked it, smiling.

"We're in!" Addy cheered, loving the fact that she had a friend already and class hadn't even started. They sat patiently, watching as all of their other first years got sorted. When it was Draco's turn, it didn't surprise her at all that he'd been sorted into Slytherin. She cheered just as loudly for him as his own table did, and Draco turned to give her an odd look as he joined his house.

When it was Jay's turn, the hat barely had to sit on his head before calling out,

"Ravenclaw!" She and Mei-Lin cheered extra-hard, and Addy jumped out of her seat as Jay ran to their table without having to be told.

"The gang's all together!" She cried, and a chain of awkward three-way high-fives ensued. Now fully satisfied that her new friend group was formed, Addy sat back down. She, Jay, and Mei-Lin chatted amicably as everyone else got done. They all cheered for Harry and Ron as they were sorted into Gryffindor, whom Addy had pointed out to her friends from her seat.

All too soon, the excitement began to mellow out. The dining room was filled with a dull roar as everyone ate, talked, and introduced themselves to others. After most had finished their dinner, the prefects whisked them away on a tour of Hogwarts, and then they were deposited in the Ravenclaw common room.

"Alright, here is home sweet home for the next seven years!" Their girl prefect, Petunia Wright, said cheerfully. You've all been assigned rooms based roughly on last name. Have fun, but don't stay up late making too much noise- you'll need plenty of rest for when classes begin." The group began to disperse, and Addy turned to Mei-Lin.

"If we're sorted by last name, that means you and I are together. Come on!" They both waved to Jay (who was talking with some of the other boys) as they raced up the stairs. The pair arrived in their room out of breath after racing down the hallway.

"You know, Mei-Lin, I like you a lot," Addy proclaimed as she plopped down on her back, claiming a bed on the floor. "You're really cool!" Mei-Lin laughed.

"Are you saying that because you didn't think I was going to be any fun?" She asked, voice gentle but smile teasing.

"No, that's not it at all!" Addy sat back up, joining in on Mei-Lin's laughter when she realized that it was only a joke. "You were just really calm on the boat, only watching me and Jay. I didn't know if you'd want to get involved with our craziness."

"Of course I did," Mei-Lin responded, sitting on the edge of the floor bed across from Addy. "If you haven't noticed, I'm rather introverted, so I didn't really know how to approach two clearly extroverted people. How do you two know each other, by the way?" Addy shook her head.

"We didn't know each other before today," She confirmed. "We just kind of hit it off right away. It does kind of feel like we've been friends for longer, though." Mei-Lin nodded, immediately beginning to unpack her bags.

"I honestly thought you were siblings at first, but you weren't standing in line together at the sorting so I assumed you were just best friends." Addy gigled, following Mei-Lin's lead and organizing her belongings.

"Well, we are now- he promised me that he was my best friend, remember?" Addy said happily, arranging a picture of her family on her nightstand. "And if I have it my way, you'll be my best friend too." Mei-Lin stopped what she was doing and laughed, a smile on her face.

"I'd like that." The two girls looked at each other, exchanging a grin.


	3. Lay of the Land

"First day of classes," Mei-Lin said, organizing her books in her arms. "Are you all ready?" Addy nodded, adjusting the straps of her bag over her shoulder. Their other roommates nodded too. Two of them were twins, friendly red-haired and grey-eyed girls named Lyra and Jasmine. The other girl had black hair with purple at the ends. She was quiet, like Mei-Lin, but they'd learned her name was Aurora.

"Then let's go!" The girls trooped downstairs, where all the other first year Ravenclaws seemed to have had the same idea. Addy and Mei-Lin quickly found Jay, and they stood together and watched everyone mill around. The prefects were weaving through the small crown and answering people's questions, and the noise level soon began to rise.

"All right," Called Petunia over the din, "Classes start in around ten minutes. You guys can head out; have a great first day of classes!" The Ravenclaws all bolted through the portrait, excited to begin their magical education. The trio of friends was right along with them, and it wasn't long before they were in their classroom- Charms, with Professor Flitwick. Petunia had mentioned earlier that two houses often joined together for classes, and Addy was delighted to see a trail of Slytherin students walk in right after them. She looked for Draco, and waved happily upon seeing him. Draco regarded her with the same odd look as yesterday, barely returning her greeting with a small nod before choosing a seat near some friends.

"Good morning first years!" The professor called once everyone was seated. He was a short, bubbly man, standing on his desk and bouncing lightly on his toes. "Welcome to Charms!" As Flitwick introduced the year's subject matter, Addy leaned forward and drank in every word. She was finally, finally getting to study magic, and she intended on learning every single thing her teachers had to teach. After all, she wanted to live up to the Ravenclaws' defining trait.

Charms passed rather uneventfully. Addy had done some magical research before in her father's library, so she had a head-start on what they were learning. Flitwick had started them on the levitation charm, and Addy seemed to take to it with great speed. Seated next to her were Jay and Mei-Lin, of course, and she helped them learn the wand movements for the charm as she did it herself. The other students quickly noticed that they had an overachiever in their bunch, and while some jeered behind her back and made fun of her, others meekly approached Addy's desk and asked for help when Flitwick was aiding others. Being a soft-hearted girl, Addy did her best to help those who requested it while still getting some practice in herself. At the end of the class, while most students were still aimlessly waving their wands to get them to do something, Addy had her pencil wavering slightly above her desk. It wasn't perfect, but it was a good start for which she received praise from Flitwick. Addy walked out of class simply overjoyed; she knew she was a witch from her childhood, but making an object do something that defied the laws of Muggle physics truly cemented it in her brain.

Their next class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, was half an hour after Charms. Even with so much time between, the trio of friends lingered in the hallways outside to talk about their impressions of school until it was time to head inside. Addy, Jay, and Mei-Lin seated themselves in the second row of desks (as they had done in Charms) and waited patiently for the rest of their classmates to arrive. They'd heard their other Slytherin classmates talking about this class, too, so it was no surprise when roughly the same group of students trooped into the room and found their places among the rows. Idle chatter flooded the room for a few minutes until the professor began the lesson. It seemed as though he had just appeared in front of his desk- he was so quiet and unassuming that no one had heard him.

"Good m-morning," The man said, so quietly that several students leaned forward in order to hear him at all. "My n-name is Professor Qu-Quirrell, a-and this year you'll b-be learning D-D-Defense against the D-D-Dark Arts." Immediately, a few snickers were heard throughout the room. The professor's stance at the front of the room commanded no one's attention, and he soon felt his control of the class slipping. His body shook as he tried to get through the next few minutes of explaining the class material, and his voice modulated between loud and soft in an attempt to be heard over the growing din of student voices.

"A-Alright," He finally said, looking up from the page he was holding, "You can r-read the f-f-first chapter of your textb-books and g-get started p-practicing your jinxes." Finally free of his voice, the majority of the students' voices raised in volume as they turned to speak to friends. Diligently, Addy tried her best to read her book and block out the classroom noise. The first chapter was almost painfully boring, but Addy raised her hand to catch Quirrell's attention when she was done.

"Are we allowed to start practicing?" She asked, and his face stretched into a sallow smile all too quickly. Addy flinched, but returned the smile after a moment.

"Oh, ab-ab-absolutely, young l-lady. The s-s-sooner you b-begin to l-learn, the b-b-b-better." She nodded and reached into her bag for her wand as Quirrell drifted away. Her eyes scanned over the textbook once more for instructions, and then she repeated her ritual from Charms class- she placed a pencil on her desk and practiced. This spell was easier than the levitation spell since it required less concentration, and after ten minutes of attempts, Addy got the pencil to fly off the desk.

"Won-won-wonderful!" She heard Quirrell cry from across the room. She turned her head quickly to see the professor standing in front of Draco's desk, nearly tripping over his tongue as he stuttered out praise. She spotted a copy of the textbook upside-down on the floor, and assumed that Draco had used it to practice. Her mind wandered as she wondered how much harder a heavier object would be, but when Draco caught her eye, she simply smiled and waved. Determined, she looked over at her own textbook and tried out the spell again.

"Flipendo!" She said, pointing her wand at the texbook. This time, the book flew further, pages rustling as it shot across the first row and landed in the front of the classroom.

"Ex-ex-excellent!" This time, Quirrell was talking to her, and Addy could barely contain a grin as Quirrell scurried over to her. Out of the corner of her eye, Draco met her proud gaze with an equally competitive one. The rest of the class was spent as a private battle between the two- after retrieving her textbook, Addy had sat down just in time for Draco to send his just a tad bit further. It went back and forth, each trying to outdo the other in friendly competition. Other students joined in, some better at it than both Addy and Draco, but the true battle stayed between the two of them. Quirrell encouraged it, allowing his students to learn with a little amiable rivalry, and Addy found that she actually enjoyed Quirrell's relaxed classroom command. At the end of the class period, she walked out of class with a grin on her face, pleased with the first day of classes.

"How are you so good at charms and jinxes?" Jay complained as the trio lingered outside in the hallway. Addy shrugged, smiling as she thought back to both classes.

"I don't know," She answered honestly. "Just a gift, I guess." Just then, Draco stepped smoothly out of the room, the last of the students to leave other than Crabbe and Goyle. As his trio of friends passed Addy's in the hallway, he paused for a brief moment. Draco didn't say anything, but simply nodded at Addy. She returned the nod, smiling very slightly. Both turned away after a moment, but Addy just missed the mischievous grin that crept onto Draco's face as he walked away.

"Speaking of which," Jay said as Draco's back receded, "And by 'which' I mean nothing we were talking about, since when were you and Draco best friends?" Addy rolled her eyes as the three began the return journey to their dorms.

"We're not best friends, I thought that was your job." Jay flashed her a cheeky smile, and Addy laughed. "And anyway, we're just regular friends, I guess." Mei-Lin looked at Addy with a sly glance.

"Yeah? How soon will that change?" She asked with a suggestive tone, and Addy almost stopped walking, shocked at what her friend was insinuating.

"Ew," Jay immediately replied, not waiting for Addy to vocalize her thoughts. "Malfoy? Dating our Addy? I think not." Addy scoffed, her mouth nearly dropping open.

"You two are absolutely mad. Firstly, Mei-Lin, I am shocked at you! Suggesting something even remotely romantic does not seem like you." Mei-Lin shrugged, biting back a smile.

"It seems you have a lot to learn about me," She responded, suddenly aloof, and Addy had to admit that she was right.

"And you, Jay- what's wrong with Draco? More importantly, who said I like him? And how did you jump to such a conclusion anyway? This is literally the first day of classes, slow down- you and I may be best friends, but I've known you for all of two days." Jay, too, shrugged, and he jumped through the portrait hole as he continued speaking.

"Well, you've got to get used to it, you're stuck with us for the next seven years, minimum." He pointed out.

"Sadly," Addy said jokingly. Jay pushed her over lightly, and Mei-Lin laughed aloud.


	4. Settling Down

The second day of classes seemed to pass just as quickly as the first. It was a whirlwind of brand-newness and high expectations. Just like the day before, she and her roommates were up with the sun and preparing for the next set of classes. Addy and Mei-Lin met up with Jay in the main room, and they all decided to get breakfast that morning. The previous day they'd all been too nervous to even remember that breakfast was provided. Today, they were all hungry, and they had trekked down to get breakfast along with several of their classmates (the rest of the school seemed to have the same idea, and the dining hall was much more lively than it had been the previous day).

Then, it was off to the races. Addy's day began separate from all her friends with Potions. It was a course that she wanted to love but couldn't find the motivation in her. Professor Snape also had a way of sucking the fun out of potion-making, and the cold, dungeon-like atmosphere in his classroom did not help. The man paced up and down the aisles of the classroom, harshly critiquing students who were doing just fine and taking pleasure from it, too. She was successful in making her first potion, despite Snape's harsh instructions.

Care of Magical Creatures soon took the bitter taste of Potions out of Addy's mouth, though; her class had combined with one of the Gryffindor's, and she was elated to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione as part of her lesson. The four of them had a blast learning, though the class itself was rather bland. They each took turns sharing new discoveries about Hogwarts and swapping stories about student drama. All in all, a very productive and educational class (even if Addy now knew more about the first years' gossip than any animal they read about).

Transfiguration was next, and the only student Addy knew from beforehand was Draco. One of his friends was sitting beside him, and there was no indication of whether it was Crabbe or Goyle, so she opted to sit a few rows ahead in an empty desk. Though every part of her social soul was itching to turn and speak to Draco, Addy's focus was kept fully on their first lesson. Professor McGonagall did not take any nonsense in her classroom. She ran a tight ship, and unlike Professor Quirrell, she demanded respect and everyone gave it to her. The class went smoothly and with no interruptions, as would be the only acceptable way for the rather uptight teacher.

After Transfiguration her schedule was free, so Addy took the opportunity to head to the library. She had agreed to meet Hermione there to study together, as both of them wanted to get a jump-start on homework.

As she walked toward the library, though, a burst of noise distracted her. She walked further down the corridor to see a crowd of her classmates pressed from wall to wall, blocking her path. Confused, Addy approached and wiggled her way through the crowd. In the middle of it all was Harry and Draco. They looked to be competing for who could be the most obnoxiously loud while insulting one another.

"Training for the ballet, are you, Potter?" Draco asked, and a gaggle of Slytherin girls began tittering with laughter as Draco badly pantomimed a graceful ballet move, and then a person not-so-gracefully dropping all their things. "Any more graceful and you'd fit in with the likes of Neville's rat." Neville, who was in the crowd, shouted in anger.

"Well, at least I don't look like Scabbers," Harry retorted. "The nurses must have been shocked when you were delivered- a wizard baby permanently hexed with a rat's face!" This kind of bickering went on for another minute, and Addy could hardly believe her ears. They were both being resolutely pig-headed, and she felt a headache beginning to form from all the commotion. Her first thought was that if she listened to them, she might hear whether they were arguing about something valid, but that was not so.

"Your mum," Draco had just started again and looked angry enough to throw a punch, and Addy had had enough. She looked around- her classmates seemed jovial at the prospect of a real fight breaking out and seemed uninterested in stopping them. So, even knowing that she might get flak for it, Addy stepped into the 'ring'. At her approach, Harry and Draco both turned to her and paused mid-yell.

"Addy?" Both boys said, sounding incredulous. Neither had realized she was there previously.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were studying with Hermione," Harry continued.

"What is wrong with the two of you?" Addy asked, completely ignoring Harry. "Fighting in the corridor like a bunch of children. I was on my way to the library, Harry, but you two are conveniently putting on a show in the middle of my path to getting there." Harry looked sheepish, and Draco snorted.

"Yeah, Harry, why don't you get out of our way?" Draco sneered. "Don't want to-" Draco was probably going to fling some idiotic insult at Harry again, but Addy stopped him immediately,

"Our way?" She asked. "I'm not taking your side, you're just as much at fault here. You're both acting like children." Draco looked a little put out, but he quickly turned to me.

"I thought you would be on my side, Addy, aren't you going to support your friend?" Draco asked, and it was clear he was trying to manipulate Addy into being on his side. His use of the word 'friend' did cheer her up a bit, though,

"I am supporting my friends. Both of them." Addy looked between the boys. "You two don't have to be the best of friends, but for the love of all that is holy, be civil. If I have to hear about how annoying the other is from both of you, I might just lose it before the year's over." Addy said that jokingly, and despite how angry he was, Harry laughed. Neither boy said anything after that, because, really, what more was there to say? Satisfied and with a wave over her shoulder and a smile, Addy parted the thinning crowd and went to the library, where she found Hermione ankle-deep in a pile of books between two sections labelled 'Charm Incantations' and 'Transfiguration History'.

"Hermione?" At the mention of her name, the curly-haired witch looked up with a grin.

"Addy!" Hermione waved her over. "Come join me, I've found the most interesting charms in this one..." Without hesitation, Addy joined Hermione among the books and picked one up.

The two girls absorbed themselves in the texts, soaking in everything the books could tell them. They would share interesting things that each new book held, exclaiming at each one and trying them out, if they were safe. In between rather boring stretches of the lengthier books, Hermione and Addy would talk about school and their peers. Hermione shared the antics that Harry and Ron had already managed to drag her into, and Addy joined in with her own stories of what she and her friends had learned about the school. By the time either girl realized how much time had passed, the sunshine was waning through the large window behind them and most students had gone back to their common rooms.

"Well, I'd say that was successful," Addy said, standing up and dusting off her skirt. She placed the last few books back on the shelves as Hermione did the same. "You heading to your room?"

"Yes," Hermione confirmed, "I've got a few more questions on a homework assignment to answer." Addy nodded.

"Well, have at you, I've got to do the same thing. Say hello to Harry and Ron for me, will you?"

"Of course, and give my regards to Jay and Mei-Lin! We should get together sometime, all six of us." Addy's eyes shone at Hermione's proposition.

"That sounds lovely!" The girls exchanged a few more farewell words before heading to their respective dorms. Addy stepped through the portrait hole and skipped all the way to her room. Nothing made her happier than making new friends... Except, perhaps, a good book.


	5. Routine

"Addy, must you?" From the top bunk, Aurora complained as Addy opened the blinds to let the honey-colored light of morning pour inside.

"Every morning!" She brightly responded, grabbing her brush to style her hair into the usual two pigtails. Even as she complained, Aurora was in good spirits as she hopped down from her bed and changed into her uniform. Over the next ten minutes, their other roommates joined her in their usual morning routine. It had taken a little over a month, but the five girls had established their dynamics and figured out their schedules for the most efficient way of life. These days were Addy's favorite- her first two classes she shared with Jay, Mei-Lin, and Draco. The thought alone raised her spirits, and she went about her day cheerfully.

Charms was a breeze, and her favorite class. It was something that she both worked hard at and was naturally gifted in, and she loved having Flitwick as a teacher. He taught with the progression of students and allowed them to go more advanced if they were ready.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was nearly a joke, as much as she hated to be negative. Quirrell had them practicing the same basic spells all the time, though by this time, the students were all ready for much more. Half the first-years openly mocked him, and while Addy would never do the same, she understood that their meanness was coming from a place of frustration- she was upset, too. He gave out praises for the simplest of things, and it came across as though he could disguise his lack of teaching material in false praise.

Herbology was interesting, though Addy wouldn't call it fun. She didn't have any close friends in that class but had no problems making in-class friends to partner with. It was no secret that herbology was not her thing, but she tried her best and worked hard to pass the time anyway.

After a long day of schoolwork, the best part of the day was debatably the evenings. Addy would meet up with Jay and Mei-Lin for dinner, and then the three of them would stake out in the common room and study together. They'd mastered the art of procrastinating, talking, and getting their homework done at the same time. This is what they were doing, and Addy was giggling as Jay slammed his textbook shut and threw it on the table in between their chairs.

"This is ridiculous," Jay said, slouching back in his chair and pouting. Mei-Lin looked up from her own History of Magic textbook, smiling slightly.

"What is it this time?" She asked. "You look quite like my little brother, frowning like that." Her gentle teasing only made Jay's frown more pronounced.

"Who cares about all these old wizards?" He asked, throwing up his arms. "I just wish history was more useful, like Potions." Addy made a face immediately.

"You're just saying that because you're good at Potions," She said, and Jay sat up fully.

"Of course I am," He responded, "There's no shame in playing to your strengths, and my strengths do not involve memorizing the names of six hundred dead people."

"Well, could your strengths right now please involve being quieter with your temper tantrum?" Mei-Lin responded, still smiling as her eyes dropped back down to her textbook. Jay huffed.

"The rest of my research needs to be done tonight so I can finish writing my paper tomorrow," Mei-Lin explained. Addy made another face. Her own history essay sat in front of her, still half-written from yesterday. She had determined that working on her Potions paper required her attention at the moment, and was all too happy to leave the history paper for later.

"Have you finished your Potions paper?" Addy asked Jay, already knowing the answer. He nodded, face brightening.

"Yeah, and it was actually really fun. What makes potions work in a specific way is so interesting, honestly, and so intricate..." Addy sat back, satisfied. She knew Jay could go off on a spiel about potions for at least the next five minutes, so she simply smiled and zoned out in Jay's general direction to show that she was (mildly) paying attention. Unlike most Ravenclaws, Jay didn't pride himself on his vast internal library of knowledge. He was smart and everyone was aware, but he didn't enjoy flaunting it and putting his intelligence to use was not his favorite thing to do- unless he was talking about potions. It was his favorite class and subject, and the boy had a talent for it unlike any other. Professor Snape did not usually complement any of his students, but Jay got an approving nod from the surly man nearly every class, which was just as good as a verbal compliment from any other teacher.

"Are you even listening to me, Addy?" Jay asked, cutting himself off.

"No," She immediately answered, looking up from the textbook in her lap. "I'm sorry. Defence Against the Dark Arts is just so riveting..." She trailed off, gesturing to the text-heavy pages, and Jay rolled his eyes all too knowingly.

"You take that class far too seriously," Jay said, and Addy knew he was right. "Professor Quirrell only assigned that paper because he knew the other teachers would question if he didn't. Everyone else is handing out some pretty decent research projects but he barely teaches at all." Addy nodded along. Everything Jay was saying was exactly the truth. She did take that class more seriously than was necessary, but she liked being ahead of the curve. And, in the back of her head, she hoped that knowing all of the material before she came to class would keep the rather odd Professor from hovering over her shoulder so often.

"Well, you're absolutely right," Addy said, echoing her thoughts. "You've got no argument from me. I just..." She paused, and Jay leaned forward. Whenever she stopped herself, Jay knew Addy was going to say something that she'd been thinking on for a while. She didn't often voice her personal thoughts or emotions unless they were relevant, so he always paid close attention when she did.

"Part of me hopes that Professor Quirrell will leave me alone if he realizes that I already know more than he can teach me." Jay nearly leapt up from his seat.

"You feel it too?" He asked, just barely keeping his voice at an acceptable volume. "I thought he was a little creepy." Addy nodded, glad she had a close friend who shared the feeling. She hated being so judgemental toward her teacher, but she couldn't ignore the way her skin began to crawl if he hovered around her for too long. He was creepy, as Jay rightly said, and it was nice to know she wasn't alone in thinking that.

Both Jay and Addy sat in silence for a few moments, reveling in the solace of a similar thought. They had almost forgotten that Mei-Lin was there until she spoke, catching both of their attention.

"Jay Miller," She began teasingly, "Why do I see Lyra's name written in the corner of your notebook?" Horrified, Jay whipped his head around to see Mei-Lin out of her seat, bent over the table and staring at the exposed margins on his Transfiguration textbook. He jumped up and slammed the book shut, gripping it closely to his chest as if he could erase the fact that Mei-Lin had seen it.

"You didn't see anything," Jay demanded, his voice dropping to a seething whisper. His face reddened so fast Addy thought he might pass out, and she couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her.

"So, you have a thing for our girl Lyra, huh?" She teased, joining Mei-Lin. "Isn't it so interesting how Lyra's our roommate?" Slowly, Jay turned his head to look at Addy. She held back a laugh- his eyes were so wide, and he had a frightening smile on his face stretched too thin.

"If you even so much as think about telling Lyra about this, Addy, I'll tell Draco you're in love with him."

"What?" Mei-Lin now turned to Addy, shock apparent in her face. "You're in love with Draco?"

"No," Addy began, wishing she'd quiet down. The other Ravenclaws hanging out in the common room were beginning to stare.

"I was the one who called it on the first day! You've had a thing for Draco all this time, and you told Jay but you didn't tell me?" She asked, and Addy held out her hands, trying to get her to stop for a moment.

"No!-" She tried again, but this time Jay beat her to it.

"Don't think I haven't noticed you being rather friendly with Draco, of all people, Adaline," Jay continued. "If Lyra gets wind of this, you can kiss your secret crush goodbye. Draco would know about it faster than you could blink-" Addy just interrupted him, determined to shut them both up.

"Of course I'm being friendly, Jerusalem, we're friends. And what do you mean, 'of all people'?" Jay shrugged, and Addy rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, go ahead and tell Draco about a very non-existent crush, I'm sure he'll be very amused." Addy turned to Mei-Lin.

"I do not have a crush on Draco, Jay has absolutely no idea what he's talking about. He has no proof." Addy appealed to Mei-Lin's very strong sense of logic and judgment, and she knew she had won her friend over.

"Now, on the other hand, we have solid proof about Jay's love for our friend Lyra. So," She continued, turning back to Jay, "If you want your secret crush to stay a secret, you'll shut up about Draco. Right?" Unwillingly, Jay abated.

"Fine," He grunted, sitting down. He gingerly placed his notebook down on the table and stared at it as if it personally offended him.

"I'll shut up about Draco if and only if you promise that Lyra won't hear about this," Jay pressed, and Addy softened.

"Jay, I'm just messing with you. You know I'd never actually tell Lyra, that's not for me to say." He seemed to physically relax, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

"Thank the Lord," He said, letting out a breath. "I didn't think you actually would, but I threatened Draco and you kind of lost it." Addy smirked.

"Well, don't spread false information. I really don't have a crush on Draco, so you can stop thinking about that." Jay chuckled, batting the notebook out of the way and picking up his textbook.

"I don't know if I believe that, and from the looks of it, Mei-Lin doesn't, either." Across from them, Mei-Lin was back to reading her textbook. Her mouth was upturned in a grin, and her eyebrows rose at the mention of her name.

"Don't you two bring me into this," She said, "What I believe about Addy's feelings doesn't matter in the grand scheme of this history essay." Jay sighed, slouching over in his chair again.

"You're no fun when you get studious and do what you're supposed to do," He complained, "You're such a Ravenclaw." Addy burst out laughing as she mirrored Mei-Lin and picked up her own textbook again.


	6. Banter

It was another morning of Charms, and Jay wouldn't shut up about- well, anything, but particularly about the previous night's conversation.

"Draco Malfoy, Addy's guy," Jay would sing, annoying Addy and Mei-Lin to no end. He would sing it quietly, under his breath, allowing no one but the two (very irritated) girls around him to hear.

"Why do you continue to sing that?" Addy whispered to Jay through gritted teeth. She'd spent the last few hours resisting the urge to tell him to shut up, and it wasn't even past 10 am.

"I thought you didn't like him," Addy continued, keeping her voice down as not to alert Professor Flitwick that she was not doing her work.

"I don't like him, at all, really," Jay confirmed, "But I still think it's fun to tease you about it. Besides, if you get married, I'll have to learn to like him." Addy bit back a snarky comment, but smirked when she thought of a different comeback.

"I suppose you will have to like him," Addy responded, coyly, feigning calmness, "Since we would be attending your and Lyra's wedding together." Jay's face flushed almost immediately, as if on command. Addy giggled, muffling the sound with her hand. She loved that all she had to do was mention Lyra's name and she'd have Jay tongue-tied.

"Lyra and I are not getting married anytime soon," Jay responded after clearing his throat. From beside him on the bench, Mei-Lin laughed.

"So you are getting married," She confirmed, repeating the meaning of what he'd said, "But just not yet?" Jay blushed furiously, and Addy picked up right where Mei-Lin left off.

"Well of course, they wouldn't get married while they're still in school," Addy continued, "They'll have to wait the seven years before they both graduate. It's unheard of for people to get married while they're still in school, and even so, they're so young!" Addy and Mei-Lin were both doubled over in their seats, trying their best not to laugh loudly. Jay tried to look angry, but couldn't stop the smile that slid onto his face.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Addy Malfoy," Jay responded, turning back to his Charms book (that they all should have been reading). "There will be no such wedding."

***

"Hi Draco!" Addy always had a smile for him at some point during class, and Draco didn't get it. He didn't understand her at all, actually.

Adaline Hemmingway was an odd one. Draco usually classified all Ravenclaws as pretentious nerds, and Addy should have been no different. Though she was undeniably a lover of knowledge (and therefore a nerd), she wasn't annoying about it like, say, Hermione (who was a Gryffindor, but still). Addy was understanding and sincere, and often went out of her way to help her peers understand a difficult concept without making them feel lesser. It seemed as though she was kind and friendly with everyone, and everyone was kind and friendly toward her.

Draco didn't trust that, but oddly enough, he didn't hate the idea that she considered him a friend, too. The girl should have been a Hufflepuff, for heaven's sake.

Here was someone that had one conversation with him on the very first day of school, and immediately treated him like a friend. No one had ever asserted themself in such a way and it made Draco uncomfortable. He liked control and enjoyed his reign of fear/respect over his class. Everyone knew his name and nobody messed with him. He lived for that energy, thrived on it, gained a sense of self from it. But Addy came along and, before he had time to shoot her down, became his friend. Draco could still very easily kick her to the curb, but a part of him he tried to ignore refused to do that. That part of him simply felt bad, which was a foreign and highly distorted feeling for him. Draco hated the fact that he couldn't shoot her down.

Worse yet, he found himself waiting to hear her greeting him in class on their Charms mornings. Twice a week, every week, it was a cheerful Good morning, Draco with her brown pigtails swinging. One morning she had missed class, and he'd been cranky about it for an hour afterward. When the Ravenclaws grouped up with the Gryffindors for Care of Magical Creatures, the Slytherins would be walking by at the same time on their way to Herbology. Draco would be angered at the mere sight of the class, at the idea that Addy managed to be friends with both him and Potter, too.

"Draco, ensure that you're either focusing in my class or are excellent at the levitation charm," Professor Flitwick called. Draco snapped out of his stupor, picking up his wand and gripping it tightly. He had to stop letting one stupid girl distract him.

Angrily, Draco cast a charm at the small pencil on his desk. Quickly, it picked itself up, hovered from a moment, and then smacked him in the face. Shocked, Draco snatched the pencil from where it had fallen into his lap and slapped it onto the table. On the other side of the room, a small giggle was heard. Nearing rage, Draco turned to the source to see Addy with her hand over her mouth, suppressing laughter. It was clear she wasn't being spiteful, and when she met his eyes, quickly mouthed, it's okay. Had she been watching him? Draco felt the tips of his ears go red with embarrassment. His whole face, in fact, prickled with heat and turned a healthy shade of red. Of all people to have seen, it had to be Addy.

***

Addy really liked Draco.

Despite what nearly everyone said to her, she saw something in him. It was odd having a friend like Draco Malfoy, but she didn't mind. Addy doubted that she would ever be close with him like she was with Jay and Mei-Lin, but he was someone she wanted to hold on to.

Draco was nice to her. He was polite (she put him in his place when he was rude) and indifferent most of the time, but he had his moments that made his sweet side shine. At first, he was pretty snippy whenever he spoke to her. He had even avoided her for some time, never making eye contact with her and being rude whenever he had to speak to her. Addy never changed her attitude; she was still sincere as ever in her attempts to be friendly. But after some time, Draco began to change. He became more civil, not as rude when they spoke in passing. He'd echo her greetings in the hallways and even returned the occasional smile in Charms. He was different after a while. Truly different.

Now, was Draco the nicest person in the world? Absolutely not, never in three million years. But Addy did actually enjoy talking to Draco, and she hoped that Draco's treatment of others would change overtime like it had between them. He had the potential to be a good person, but it really had to be dragged out of him. If you only knew the surface of Draco's personality, it would be completely fair for you to want to stay away. But she liked Draco, and she wanted other people to like him too. She wanted to share this friendship with others, including Jay and Mei-Lin, Ron and Harry and Hermione. And it genuinely upset her to know that, especially in Harry's case, that would probably never happen.

After class, Addy was talking with Jay and Mei-Lin as they gathered up their books and put them away.

"Again, how are you two so good at charms?" Jay said, voicing his usual complaint as he walked toward the door. "I couldn't get my glass to hold itself upright at all."

"Ask Mei-Lin," Addy suggested, "I'm not in a much better place than you are, honestly." The three of them began to cheerfully argue about which of them was best at what as they walked out of the doors.

"Don't put this on me," Mei-Lin chided gently, laughing. "Addy, you're much better at charms than I; you were daydreaming the entire time and still performed the best. Jay, your talent is unmatched in potion-making. Even Professor Snape couldn't find anything wrong with your potion last class."

"That may be so," Jay admitted, "But you're McGonagall's favorite, since Transfiguration is so easy for you. Addy's got it down here in Charms, though. She's probably Flitwick's favorite." Addy was about to retaliate, but was interrupted by a brisk voice calling,

"Addy." She turned around slowly. Draco was still standing at his desk, and he motioned for her to approach him. Addy turned back to her friends, who were eyeing her with looks.

"We'll see you later, I guess?" Jay asked with a smug smile.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Addy returned, eyes narrowing in confusion.

"Nothing," Mei-Lin said, suddenly aloof and face alight with a mischievous smile. "You'd better not keep Draco waiting, hm? We'll be in the common room." With that, Mei-Lin grabbed Jay by the arm and pulled him out of the classroom, leaving Addy standing in confusion.

"What on earth..." She mumbled to herself, walking over to Draco. She was quite confused, but her facial expression brightened as she approached his desk.

"Hey, what's up?" Addy asked, leaning against the sturdy wooden desk.

"Were you watching me?" Draco asked, getting straight to the point. "You were laughing when I looked over at you."

"I wasn't watching," Addy recalled, "Not until Professor Flitwick said something."

"Adaline, Draco, is there something you two need?" The short man hopped over to them, adjusting his collar. "I've got to run, meaning this classroom's going to be locked up." Addy stood up right away.

"Sorry, Professor, we'll go now. Have a wonderful day!" Without hesitation, Addy took Draco's arm and pulled him out of the classroom, gently shutting the door behind them.

"You're too nice," Draco said, shaking his head. "He didn't tell us to leave right away."

"He said he needed to lock up," Addy stated, cocking her head slightly, "That's basically the same thing." Draco shrugged, then glanced up the corridor.

"Come on," He said, gesturing down the hall, "Let's go." He began to walk away, and Addy fell into step beside him.

"Where are we going?" She asked, and Draco regarded her with a confused look, as if it weren't obvious.

"I heard your friends saying that they're going back to the common room. Weren't you going to go with them?" He asked. Addy nodded, but said,

"But the Slytherin dorms are in the opposite direction." Draco looked over at her again, briefly frowning, before turning back to stare in front of him.

"Yes, they are." He confirmed. After a long moment of thought, Addy cast her eyes to the side and bit down on her lip to keep from smiling.

"Thank you," She said after a moment.

"For what?" Draco asked, still not looking at her.

"Walking with me. Keeping me company, I suppose." Although when Addy thought about it, Draco had asked her to approach him, not the other way around.

"Why are you friends with me, Addy?" He responded to her with a totally unrelated question. She was taken aback by it, but answered nonetheless.

"Well, that's a rather hard question to answer." She said, shuffling side to side as she walked and thought about it. "I enjoy your company, but there's more to it than that. You're interesting, and I like talking to you." That was all Addy had planned to say, but the look on Draco's face told her that the answer wasn't satisfactory.

"I don't have any ulterior motives, if that's what you're wondering," She clarified. "I know you think it's weird that I'm friends with you and Harry, but this has nothing to do with him, either. Friendships are strange here- they tend to vary in 'type' between houses- but I like the Hufflepuff way of going about friendships." Another glance at Draco's face told her he still wasn't satisfied.

"Long answer short, Draco, I'm friends with you because I want to be." That answer struck Draco differently than he'd expected, and he stayed quiet to ponder her words. The hallways seemed to get that much more quiet, but the pair was lost in thought, and the complete silence was lost on them. It wasn't until they reached the portrait of the Ravenclaw house that either spoke.

"Thanks again for walking with me, Draco," Addy said, smiling. He nodded.

"Thanks... For answering my question," He said hesitantly, as if he weren't sure if that's what he was supposed to be thankful for (to be fair, Draco didn't say thank you too often). Addy shrugged, dismissing it with her hand.

"No big deal," She said, "Although I'm not sure what to make of your silence afterward. Did you not like my answer?" She asked. Draco had to think for a moment, but he shook his head.

"No, that's not it. I wasn't expecting your answer at all, but I think it's what I needed to hear." And with that, he turned and walked away, back in the direction of the Slytherin dorms. Addy was left standing in front of the portrait, and she stared at his receding back as he walked further away. That boy confused her more often than anyone else she knew. She didn't step inside the dorms until the green edges of Draco's robes were no longer visible.

The moment her feet touched down on the other side of the portrait, Mei-Lin called out to her.

"Addy," She called teasingly, catching the attention of a few other Ravenclaws sitting in the common room, "How was it with Draco?" Mei-Lin dragged his name into two different syllables, a teasing lilt in her usually gentle tone. Addy shrugged, not at all registering the chuckles of the people around her as she walked over and sat down with her friend.

"It was fine, we just talked." She reported, settling in a comfy high-backed chair. "Where's Jay?"

"He should be back any minute," Mei-Lin replied, not really answering the question. As if Jay knew the girls were talking about him, he stumbled through the portrait hole a few seconds later.

"How was it?" He immediately asked, jogging over and getting comfortable in a chair across from Addy. She laughed, shaking her head.

"We were just having a conversation, I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of it. And why are you so out of breath?" Jay instinctually held his breath at her mentioning it, but relaxed after a moment,

"No reason," He replied. He brushed it off so easily that Addy dismissed it, too. "Now tell us about Draco, for real this time" Addy furrowed her eyebrows, face stretching into a confused smile again.

"What is it with you two and Draco?" She asked, looking between her friends. Opposite her, they shared a glance and grinned almost imperceptibly.

"We're just curious," Mei-Lin assured her, matching Jay's nonchalant attitude.

"Okay..." Addy said, not sure if she believed them. "Well, honestly, it wasn't anything. He just wanted to ask me a few things, so we walked from class to here and talked. That's really all, nothing special." Mei-Lin raised an eyebrow.

"Draco walked you here?" She repeated, and Addy nodded. "Draco Malfoy." She said, and Addy confirmed with another nod.

"Yes, Draco Malfoy walked me here. I questioned it too, but he wanted to walk, so we walked." Mei-Lin and Jay exchanged another glance, but didn't say anything. Addy looked between the two of them, shaking her head in confusion.

"Alright, you guys are being weird," She said, standing up. "You've officially gone off the deep end. I'm going to go get my homework, save my spot."


	7. The Bridge

Quirinus Quirrell stood before his class as he did each morning. He tried his best to appear calm and collected, but his entire being quaked constantly- as it did each morning. Nothing was different, nothing was new, except for the fact that he had just solved the Dark Lord's biggest problem.

For too long, himself and the Dark Lord had been at their wit's end trying to figure out how they could get "remote access" to Harry Potter, as his death was long overdue. Through a friend seemed like the most sensible option since few would suspect such a thing, but as Lord Voldemort had rightly pointed out during their last conversation, Harry had picked two extreme personalities for close friends; Hermione Granger was far too intelligent and the Weasley boy never thought before he opened his mouth. Using either of them wouldn't work; if they cursed Ron with the imperious or possessed him some other way, Hermione would be sure to notice. And it would take all of two seconds for someone to notice a change in Hermione's personality- she was a consistent young lady. However, by some miracle, another odd girl had managed to befriend Potter, and she sat in the second row of his classroom with her other friends, face shining and surely ready to learn. Quirrell bit back a shaky grin at her eagerness as he began the lesson.

Quickly, he set them to the task of studying and carrying out the lumos spell. Something ridiculously simple, but it would keep the students busy so he could study the child- Adaline. From the information he'd gathered from both listening to the students gossip and having her in class, it was all too clear that this girl seemed to know nearly everyone. Everyone liked her and she only showed contempt for those who had truly earned it (as Quirrell sat watching them, Pansy Parkington was making faces at Adaline's back). She was amicable with the entire student population and as smart a witch as Hermione Granger, but her real feat of accomplishment was acquiring friendship with the two biggest rivals among the first-years: Draco and Harry. Everyone, even the teachers, knew that the two boys despised each other. No one had been spared hearing their searing insults spoken in passing or seeing an argument burst forth in an otherwise calm hallway. Apart from each other both boys were rather calm personalities, but together they were nearly a nightmare. They kept their friends and lives as separate as possible-

And yet, Adaline was the bridge between the two. She'd been the only one to ever stop an argument between them, and she had actively sought out a peaceful solution before the teachers even considered trying to get involved again. Both boys actually liked Adaline, and though it was clear that neither was very keen on her being friends with the other, she remained both of their friends all the same. She was the only friend that Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter shared. She was a feat, and a miracle for his plans.

A few rows behind Adaline sat Draco. Despite being a rather malicious boy, he had managed to become another victim of Adaline's cheerful spirit. Just yesterday, he had heard the two discussing their friendship in the hallways. It was far too clear that Draco had succumbed to her gentle personality; of all the students whose spirits he shattered daily, she was always spared. Draco would be the key to Adaline, and Adaline the key to Harry.

~

"You heard the boy, my Lord," Quirrell pressed on, eagerly sharing his plan. He sat in his office alone, turban still on but very much addressing the man inhabiting his body.

"M-M-Malfoy has fallen right into p-place. Directly pla-placing the imperius c-curse on Adaline w-would prove difficult, my-my-my Lord; there is never a situation where I w-would feasibly have a rea-reason to be alone with her. F-f-furthermore, I do not know enough ab-bout her personality to k-keep up the ch-ch-charade of being her if-if I possess her be-be-before the time is right." Quirrell paused, realizing he'd given no time for his master to get a word in edgewise. His body quaked a little harder than usual, and he fell silent immediately. He was not in the mood to die should Voldemort be angered.

"Hm," Was all the Dark Lord said. "Continue."

"W-well," Quirrell continued, speaking more slowly, "I suggest we s-simply set up the c-curse to come into action when n-n-needed. The girl would nev-nev-never trust me g-giving her an object for no reason, but if the object ca-came from a friend- say, Draco Malfoy- she m-might be more k-k-keen to accept. F-From there, it would s-simply be a matter of charming the object, a-and then her, whenever c-convenient for us."

"Yes, Adaline has put herself in a rather perfect position to be used," The Dark Lord began, finally giving his input to get Quirrell to cease the stuttering. "Matching her personality would prove to be difficult; just as Potter surrounded himself with extreme personalities, Adaline has done the same in moderation. It would be optimal to possess her only when necessary- but until then, we can use her to worm our way into a perfect spot to end the life of Potter."

"If-if I may ask, my Lord," Quirrell mumbled quietly, "Why are we go-go-going for Adaline rather than D-Draco? He is easier to emulate, as be-be-being mean is not difficult." Even though Quirrell had come up with the plan to use Adaline, he still wondered whether it was the best course of action.

"Pay attention, Quirrell, for I will not repeat myself." The man flinched in his chair, a physical response to the mere sound of Voldemort's voice.

"Yes, my Lord," He whispered, not daring to speak again.

"Draco Malfoy is not consistently close enough to Potter to be used. For him to suddenly start spending a lot of time with the boy would be odd, and we would need Draco's body to be close to Potter under the imperius curse in order for the wretch to finally meet his death. All of this happening with no one noticing a change in Malfoy's behavior is unlikely." Voldemort paused, and Quirrell stayed silent.

"What is more likely, however, would be Adaline and Potter spending time together. They are friends. Adaline is also Draco's friend, and she trusts him too. If we use Draco as a means of depositing the curse onto the girl and use her body as a vessel to kill Potter, it would be hard to trace the deed back to the work of poor Professor Quirrell if they had to get through Draco's involvement and the question of the girl's innocence. " Quirrell didn't fully understand, nor did he think all this was necessary, but he barely dared to think those thoughts, let alone vocalize them. He just did what he was told, even if he didn't agree.

"So it shall be, my Lord," Quirrell agreed, speaking only after a long silence.

"However," Voldemort began again, and Quirrell quickly shut up. "I am getting rather impatient. I also know that you do not believe this plan is necessary, so a direct attempt on Potter's life will be made. You will perform it tomorrow as a means of showing your loyalty to me, and if I find that you should step even the most minute toe out of line, your life will end. Do not get caught- Albus Dumbledore watches Potter closely." Quirrell couldn't even get a response out of his throat, he was so choked with fear. If it was a direct attempt on the boy's life that would keep him alive, then that's what would be happening whenever the Dark Lord wanted it. He was shaking so hard he could barely think.


	8. The Calm Within a Storm

"There's a troll running loose in the hallways!"

Professor Quirrell ran into the dining hall, delivered that message, and swiftly collapsed on the floor. Screams and shouts rang through the hall. Dumbledore's voice was not nearly loud enough to be heard over the din of the entire school panicking. Chairs were screeching as dozens of people stood and were looking to run out the doors. After thinking for a moment, the headmaster set off a dozen purple firecrackers, effectively silencing the dining hall. The prefects were called into action immediately, and were instructed to lead their students back to the dormitories. All of the students ran to find their prefects, and they were all quickly escorted out. The teachers and Dumbledore went down to the dungeons to see about the troll (aside from Professor Trelawney, who was tasked with taking Quirrell up to Madame Pomfrey's.)

Jay and Mei-Lin climbed through the portrait hole of the Ravenclaw dorms, and they were hoarded further into the room as more of their peers followed them. As more Ravenclaws came through the portrait, they scanned the crowd for any sign of their best friend. The prefects came through last, hushing the students so they could get a word in edgewise.

"Alright, this should be everyone. Does everyone see their friends-" Petunia hadn't even finished asking before Mei-Lin raised her hand and Jay jumped up.

"Addy's not here!"

* * *

In the library (as per usual), Addy was pouring over a manual called Charms to Use When You're Feeling Ill. She wasn't feeling ill in the slightest, but the jaunty photo on the front cover of a woman surrounded by dazzling get-well spells had caught her eye. The volumes upon volumes of text were surprisingly interesting, honestly, and she'd been reading for over half an hour. Several books lay to the left of her, stacked in a pile and ready to be read.

After nearly 30 more minutes of uninterrupted reading, Addy suddenly sat up. She remembered that Hermione and Mei-Lin were meant to meet her here so they could study together. She didn't know Hermione as well, but Addy knew that Mei-Lin was never late.

"I wonder where she could have gone?" Addy murmured to herself, sitting up. She straightened her skirt and robes, putting a few of the books back before walking up to the front of the library.

"Excuse me," Addy said politely, approaching the librarian's desk, "Would you happen to have seen Mei-Lin come through here?" The two girls were in here often enough that Madame Pince knew them by name. The dark-haired witch turned around, regarding Addy with a cool gaze.

"Neither of your friends have been here," Madame Pince responded sharply. She was gearing up to reprimand Addy for speaking so 'loudly' in a library setting, but paused when she saw the book clasped in Addy's hands.

"Ah, what respect for the art of charms! You've chosen an excellent book." Addy smiled, holding up the book she had happened to pick up. Charms for Everyday Life was scrawled across the cover in fancy black lettering, and the book was hand-bound in leather.

"Oh, thank you," Addy said, "I was just about to begin reading it. But... you haven't seen Mei-Lin?"

"Unfortunately not, Miss Adaline," Madame Pince confirmed, "And please keep your voice down."

"Yes, Madame. Thank you," Addy responded, her voice just above a whisper. She returned to her shelves, staring at the books she left on the ground.

"Where would Mei-Lin be?" Addy wondered aloud, picking up the rest of the books. Deciding to go look for her, Addy placed her books back on their shelves, making a note of their titles to read them later. She packed up her belongings, placing them quietly in her bag and leaving the library.

Once out in the hallway, Addy had to squint against the evening sunset. The rays were shining down through the windows, bathing the empty corridor in a honey-colored glow. Addy looked around, suddenly realizing that the hallway was completely deserted. Usually there were other kids staked outside the library to study, since they could talk out here and go inside to get books when necessary.

"Now, where has everyone gone?" She wondered. Her voice slightly echoed, and it truly made Addy feel alone. This hallway had never been so empty before. She turned and walked toward the Ravenclaw dorms, listening to the sound of her footsteps ricochet off the walls. It was an eerie thing to hear, so she hurried along and tried not to listen. Addy turned the corner and jumped as she almost ran directly into someone.

"Addy?" The sound of Draco's voice pierced the silence. "What on earth are you doing out here?" Addy noticed that he looked worried as he stood up.

"I'm going back to my dorms. Where is everyone?" She asked. Draco opened his mouth to respond, but thought better of it.

"Never mind, just come on," He said, and grabbed Addy's hand.


	9. An Unknown Danger

There were several things running through Addy's mind at the moment, the first of which being 'Draco's going too fast!'.

He was pulling her through the hallways with practiced speed, and after a while Addy began to wonder if he would ever stop. He was running like his life depended on it, and as far as Addy was aware, there was nothing around that warranted them to be sprinting like this. At least, not when McGonagall could walk around a corner at any moment and punish them for tearing through the halls at breakneck speed.

The pair didn't stop running until the Slytherin dorms portrait was in front of them. Without any hesitation, Draco said the password and pulled Addy through with him. It was only then, when they were safe inside, that Draco let out a breath he had been holding in. He leaned against the nearest wall and closed his eyes, and Addy stood next to him, supremely confused.

"Draco, what on earth is going on?" Addy asked, her volume not climbing above a whisper. She looked at her surroundings as several pairs of eyes turned her way. Suddenly, Addy felt as if these Slytheirn students were predators, and she, in her bright Ravenclaw blue, was the prey.

"I think I should go-" Addy began, turning to climb back out of the portrait hole, but Draco jerked her hand back.

"I don't think so," He said with such certainty that Addy actually listened. "Not with that troll out there."

"That what?" She repeated. Draco nodded, finally pushing himself off the wall.

"It was obvious you had no idea what was going on. I mean, an actual troll was roaming the halls and you were strolling back to your dorm like nobody's business," Draco explained. "The troll was last making noise over by your dorms and most of the Ravenclaw kids had gone to the classrooms under teacher supervision." Addy took a moment to process this information, and she felt her body begin to tense up with what she called 'aftershock fear'.

"I could have been dead," Addy realized, and Draco nodded, affirming the thought. Her hands clenched into fists, and that made the pair realize they were still holding hands. Draco's hands were icy and Addy's were warm, and it became increasingly obvious that they should have noticed this before. As soon as she looked down, Addy let go of his hand, swiftly crossing her arms behind her back. Draco coughed, looking away for a moment.

"Yeah, you sure would have been. You're welcome," He said, and despite her fear, Addy chuckled.

"Thank you," She said, and truly meant it, "But do you think you could tell everyone to stop staring at me? It's kind of stressing me out." For the first time, Draco fully straightened up and looked around. Indeed, several of his classrooms were glancing over at them with rather judgemental looks. A few of his friends, he noticed, were simply watching, but others were visibly miffed.

"What is she doing here?" One girl called from her place across the room. She was in an armchair by a lit fireplace, surrounded by a mountain of books and two other friends. Her question called more attention to Addy's presence, and a few more kids looked on.

"Just standing, at the moment," Addy spoke up, and Draco has to clear his throat to mask a laugh.

"I invited her over," Draco stated, pulling Addy over to a different collection of chairs where his other friends were. He hoped that if he ignored the girl (like he usually did) she would leave him alone, but no such luck.

"You just invited her over? While a troll is roaming the school? Shouldn't she be with the rest of her class?" The girl pressed, and Addy stared at her with a look.

"Please mind your business," Addy said as she took the seat Draco offered. "There's no rule against me hanging out with a friend. And yes, maybe I should be with my class, but I'd rather not be dead, so I'm sure the prefects will let me stay until the problem is solved." To her point, one Slytherin boy with the signature shiny badge had listened to the entire conversation thus far and hadn't said a single thing. In fact, at Addy's remark, he snickered and turned back to his own homework. The girl's face turned a nice shade of pink, and her brown hair swung to and fro as she stood up angrily.

"Listen here," She began, walking over to their circle of chairs, "I don't need some goody two-shoes Ravenclaw telling me what to do. Especially not one like you." She then turned to Draco, completely changing her tone.

"Why are you even talking to her?" She asked. "You can come sit with me and Sirana and Perrin, if you'd like." Draco smiled up at her, though it wasn't very sincere.

"Thanks, but I'm good here. You think I'd invite a friend over and then not hang out with her?" He asked, and with that, he turned his back to her and took a seat. His other classmates went back to doing their own thing, leaving the girl to look quite like a fool. Addy had to fight back a smile as she turned away.

"Anyway," Draco began as if the previous conversation hadn't even happened, "These are my friends, Narys and Ben." Both boys waved hello. Ben was a rather quiet boy who Addy knew was on the Slytherin Quidditch team. His brown hair was always well-kept and swept over his forehead, and he was relaxed in his chair as if he had all the time in the world to talk. Narys looked older than the three of them, so Addy guessed he was a few years ahead. He had black hair that stuck up in a way that looked styled and an amicable grin on his face. He leaned forward in his chair, elbows resting on his knees as he greeted her.

"You must be the Addy I've heard so much about," Narys said, smiling widely. Beside him, Draco's eyes widened dangerously and his pale face took on an interesting hue. Narys winked to show that he was joking, but it was still funny to watch Draco lose his cool.

Behind them, the girl huffed and stomped her feet in her anger. They all heard her began to walk very loudly back to her friends and her chair.

"Ignore Pansy," Narys implored, rolling his eyes as he saw the girls glare in their direction. "She's just mad because she wants Draco's attention but he won't pay her any mind."

"I'll say,"Ben agreed, and Addy raised an eyebrow, a small smirk slipping onto her face. Normally, Addy hated talking about others behind their backs, but Pansy was already an exception to her personal rule about being friendly toward everyone.

"Is Pansy like that with everyone?" Addy asked, and Narys chuckled.

"Like what?" He asked. "Is she annoying all the time? Absolutely. Is she as clingy to everyone else as she is to Draco? No." Next to Narys, Draco sighed.

"Unfortunately," He groaned, and the other three laughed. "She'd be a nice enough girl, if she just wasn't..."

"If she wasn't Pansy?" Ben supplied, and Draco laughed.

"Basically," He said. "I just don't want to be friends with someone like her. All she cares about is being popular, and she only wants to talk to me because it would make her look good in front of her friends." Addy nodded, listening to the boys explain. She'd learned more about the Slytherin's first years in the last three minutes than she had previously through the last month.

The four of them sat there for over an hour, chatting and laughing as others came and went through the common room. The prefect warned that they all stay inside, and he went to get an update on the situation. Narys and Draco had no qualms with that and did much of the talking, Ben preferring to listen and chime in every now and then during their stories. Together, the boys regaled Addy with their stories of Hogwarts from their point of view. It was so interesting, and for every question Addy had, one of the three boys had an answer. They asked her an equal number of questions, and they were all chatting like old friends before too long. By the time the prefect came back to the common room, they didn't even realize how late it was. Most of the room had emptied, aside from a few kids lingering and looking like they were waiting for something.

"Alright," Said the prefect (whose name Addy had learned was also Ben) as he came through the portrait, "The troll has been taken care of. Nobody's been hurt, so those who were waiting to hear from friends, they are all safe." Several students let out a collective sigh of relief, and most of them stood and shuffled their way to their rooms.

"And you, from Ravenclaw?" Addy turned around at that, knowing he could only be speaking to her. She turned inquisitive eyes toward him, and he grinned easily.

"Take your time," He said, winking. "Technically, you're not supposed to be here, but I don't see any reason for you to rush out. Just make sure you get one of these three to walk you to your dorm. I already told the professors that Draco brought you here, so they shouldn't ask any questions when you go back." Addy grinned, nodding happily at him. She thanked him, and he saluted her as he disappeared up the stairs.

"What a cool kid," Addy commented as the prefect disappeared around the corner. "That was so nice of him." The three boys nodded.

"It really was," Narys agreed, "He's always been pretty cool, but he didn't have to do that. Ben's a chill guy."

"Either way, I probably should get back," Addy realized, looking at the nearest clock.

"Oh, wow, yeah, it's late!" Ben hopped up from his chair, sweeping a hand through his hair. "I've got a test in the morning, I should go to bed. Good night, and it was nice to meet you, Addy." Ben (the first year) followed Ben (the prefect) up the stairs, and the remaining three friends stood as well.

"Well, Addy, it's been fun," Narys noted, stretching as he stood. "Maybe you should break the rules and come back to visit us sometimes, you're cool too." Addy laughed, but she was pleased.

"Thank you," She said, "Although I don't think I'll be making a habit of breaking the rules anytime soon." Narys just laughed.

"Who knows, Draco might have an influence on you yet." He bid the two a goodnight and farewell, climbing the stairs to his room as well.

"And then there were two," Draco commented. "Come on, let's get you back home. I'm sure your friends are worried about you." Addy shrugged as she followed Draco out of the portrait.

"The teachers should have told them everyone is safe, they won't be worried," Addy reminded him, and this time it was Draco who shrugged.

"True," He said, "But if someone told me all was well but I knew that Narys was still out there somewhere, I would be worried." Addy didn't argue- Draco had her there. She simply let their conversation come to a natural stop and drank in the moment.

It wasn't often anyone got to walk around Hogwarts this far after dark. The halls were haunting at this hour, the moonlight shivering through the high windows. The flap of wings could be heard distantly, and the air had a calmness to it that could not be achieved while students were out and about during the day. Addy was glad that she had someone walking with her, and while he would never admit it, Draco shared the same feeling. The only foreign sound was their shoes hitting the stone floors, and it stayed that way until they reached the Ravenclaw portrait door.

"Home again, home again," Addy sang. "Thanks for bringing me back, Draco."

"Of course," He said, and sincerely meant it. "Tonight was really fun, maybe we can all hang out again soon." Addy smiled, glad that the feeling was mutual.

"Perhaps," Addy replied in a mysterious voice. "I think that can be arranged. Without breaking rules." Jokingly, Draco made a face.

"You're no fun," He complained, and quiet laughter floated down the hallway.


	10. Amiss

"Where were you all that time?" Jay asked, whispering rather loudly. He didn't want any teachers to hear him; the last thing he wanted was to get Addy into trouble for something that was hardly her fault. The Ravenclaw trio was walking to Defense Against the Dark Arts, but because of the previous evening's fiasco, no one was permitted to walk alone. Instead, each class was to be escorted to class by their previous teacher, and would then be taken in larger groups back to their common rooms by their prefects. The process was mostly silent, but almost everyone was loudly whispering back and forth with their friends, and Addy, Mei-Lin, and Jay were no different.

"I was in the library at first," Addy said to Jay, beginning to fill him in. Mei-Lin leaned over to listen, since she was just as curious. "I didn't know anything was going on- there's not usually many people in the library anyway, and I was sitting in the back looking for stuff for McGonagall's essay." At the mention of the assignment, Jay rolled his eyes, but Addy ignored him and continued.

"Anyway, once I was done, I walked out of the library and headed to the common room as usual. But just as I would have walked around the corner to get to the portrait hallway, I hear someone yell my name. I turn around and Draco is next to me, and he just grabs my arm and pulls me down the hallway..." Through a series of poorly masked whispers, Addy told them the whole story, from ending up in the Slytherin common room to talking with Draco and his friends for an hour and a half. Conveniently (and to save her another few weeks of teasing), Addy opted to leave out the detail that Draco had been holding her hand for awhile, and that he was the one who walked her back to the Ravenclaw dorms.

"Seems like you've got quite a knack for finding trouble," Mei-Lin commented once Addy finished. In agreement, Addy rolled her eyes.

"Unfortunately, that seems to be true. And I never go looking for trouble, unlike some other boys I know...." Addy raised an eyebrow, looking over at Jay. Jay gasped, faking offense.

"Addy, I am shocked that you'd accuse me of such a thing!" Addy giggled, trying to keep her voice down.

"You didn't hear a single accusatory word come from me, Jay."

"I am offended," Jay continued, "That you think I'd rather look for trouble than cause a little of my own." The three of them snickered, but quickly sobered up as they walked into class.

Everyone in the room was deathly silent. Quirrell's class was normally noisy because he had lost complete control, but today, even his footsteps shuffling against the floor could be heard. When everyone was seated, Quirrell stood at the front of the room, shivering violently (and trying to make it look like he wasn't).

"Good... Good morning cl-class," Quirrell began, and even amidst the somber mood caused by the previous night's scare, some of the students began snickering in the background. "T-today you will p-p-pair up and p-practice your hex-hexes and ji-jinxes with one ano-other. Please ch-choose your own p-p-pairs and p-practice for th-the duration of cl-class." The whole class sat and stared at him for a moment, as if they were in disbelief. Addy, for one, had expected some sort of lesson revolving around safety or defense against magical creatures, or... something. But it was clear when Quirrell went around his desk and sat down that he had no more instruction to give. The noise level slowly began to rise, and Addy turned to her friends to see the two gearing up to practice.

"Hey," Addy said jokingly, swatting Jay's arm, "You two left me out!" Jay turned to her, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, someone got to you first." With a nod, Jay gestured to somewhere behind them, and Addy turned to see Draco looking in their direction. Behind him, two of his friends were paired off and doing their own thing.

"Partners?" Addy mouthed tentatively, and after a moment, Draco nodded. Addy couldn't stop a pleased smile from slipping onto her face as she got up and crossed the room with her wand and textbook.

"Fancy seeing you here," She greeted him, and a corner of Draco's mouth quirked upward.

"Fancy indeed," Draco returned, "It took you long enough to notice me."

"Well," Addy retorted, "You usually do your best to not notice me until class is over, so forgive me for not realizing your stance would change." Draco's eyes furrowed as they both took out their wands and stood up, pushing their chairs aside for more room.

"What do you mean? I don't ignore you," Draco began, but he soon stopped at the look on Addy's face.

"I'm not mad about it," Addy affirmed, "It's just the truth. You really only talk to me after class is over."

"Hm." Was all Draco said in response. Their conversation slipped into that of schoolwork; they decided to practice their basic charms, even though they'd mastered them a long time ago. That way, they wouldn't tire themselves too quickly, and they could still converse. For a solid 15 minutes, the two of them bantered lightly about friends and school. Addy found herself to be surprisingly relaxed in Draco's company. Before yesterday she'd always been a little stiff around him, and yesterday didn't count, because everyone was panicked. Today, staring into his face in the warm daylight and speaking with him, she felt at peace. However, the peace was slowly being encroached by a feeling of being watched crawling up her back. Addy looked around the room cautiously. No one's eyes met her own as she swept over the crowd of her classmates, but as she was about to turn back to Draco, her eyes landed on Professor Quirrell.

His head was bent over his desk, his neck looking painfully bent as he scrawled away on a scroll. Though he wasn't looking at her, Addy couldn't help but feel that her discomfort was being caused by him. Idly, she casted something (she barely remembered which charm) at Draco as she regarded her professor. She stared hard into his pale, sunken face, forcing herself not to look away. Addy ignored the shivers running down her spine and truly tried to get a read on her strange teacher. From talking with Jay, she knew she wasn't the only one that found him to be more than a little off putting, and staring directly at him reminded her of how uncomfortable it was. She narrowed her eyes in an attempt to understand what it was about him that made her so uneasy, but was frightened when Quirrell's head snapped in her direction. A wan smile splayed across his face, though his hollow eyes were far from matching his forced expression. Addy nodded with wide eyes and looked away- she couldn't tear her eyes from him fast enough.

"Something wrong?" Draco asked. When Addy turned back to Draco, her eyes were still wide. Addy stared at Draco for a moment, once again finding herself oddly calmed by his presence. She saw worry swimming in his eyes and was quick to answer him.

"No, I'm alright," Addy answered, shaking her head for a moment. "I was just thinking." Draco nodded, not pressing the issue any further. The rest of class went uneventfully, save for the continued discomfort washing over Addy in waves. Once class was declared over, Addy couldn't gather her things quickly enough. She said a swift goodbye to Draco, promising to explain what she was feeling to him later, and met Mei-Lin and Jay at the door.

As they were walking out, Addy couldn't help but turn to look over her shoulder. Most of the room had cleared out, but a few Slytherin kids including Draco were left. She cast one more glance at her teacher and was horrified to see that he was already staring intently at her.


	11. An Unexpected Gift

"I'm so hungry," Addy complained, slumping over in her chair and frowning. It was finally the weekend, and just having finished their assignments for class, the Ravenclaw trio was celebrating with a late breakfast in the dining hall.

"Then eat," Mei-Lin said plainly, taking a small bite of her own dinner.

"Thank you," Addy replied sarcastically, casting her a look, "But Jay made me swear up, down, and left to right that I wouldn't start eating without him. And if he doesn't show up in the next two minutes..." Luckily, Addy didn't have to finish her threat. Jay came barreling into the dining hall, a mischievous look in his eyes (as per usual).

"Well someone looks hangry," Jay announced as he approached the table and saw Addy's face. "Let's fix that and eat." Thankfully, Addy sat up and dug into her dinner as politely as she could. Jay sat down beside her and did the same, tucking into the warm meal. Satisfied silence wafted between the three of them for a few minutes, and the only sounds were the clicking of silverware against plates and bowls.

"Thank the Lord for that wonderful meal," Addy said after she had finished. She crossed her silverware in her plate and sat back contentedly. "Jay, if you had taken any longer, I would have probably thrown a fit." Jay laughed, finishing his last bite.

"Luckily, no one had to see that," Jay said teasingly. "That would have been embarrassing for you, especially since your boyfriend is coming this way." Addy sat up in her chair and quickly turned around. Draco was sauntering over to the Ravenclaw table, walking calmly and looking resolutely in charge of himself and his situation. Addy watched as he got closer and closer, and his walking path was headed straight for her. She was so distracted, she didn't even hear Jay and Mei-Lin teasing her for responding to the word 'boyfriend'.

"Hey Addy," He began, not bothering to do his usual spiel of looking loftily over the room before speaking. "Can I talk to you?" Surprised, Addy turned her chair fully around and nodded.

"Of course, what's up?" Draco's eyes quickly darted around the Ravenclaw table, where the members of the astute house were all suddenly deep in "conversation". Really, he could see that every single one of them was listening to what he was about to say.

"I meant privately," He continued, and Addy's eyebrows raised slightly. A murmur washed over the table, and when Draco sharply looked over at his peers, they continued to pretend to look busy.

"Oh. Sure," She said, standing up and brushing the fabric of her skirt with her hands. Draco motioned for her to walk in front of him, and after she pushed her chair back under the table, she led them both outside of the dining room. Draco didn't say anything the whole walk, nor did he ask her to stop walking until they were well out of earshot of the dining hall.

"I wanted to give you something," He began after a long moment of almost uncomfortable silence. Draco switched between looking at the floor and looking over his shoulder with an odd intensity, and Addy almost thought he was nervous. He produced a small blue box from his pocket, finally meeting Addy's gaze to hand it to her. She accepted the box gently, opening it to find a beautiful blue ring sitting inside. The band was made of silver and engraved with detailed, tiny images of forestry. In the middle of the band sat a small blue gem that glittered shyly in the afternoon light, as if it were afraid to show its beauty. She looked up at him questioningly, lifting the ring out of the box gingerly.

"Draco, this is absolutely stunning," She began, turning the ring to appreciate it at all angles. "What is it for? Why are you giving it to me? Thank you, of course!" So many things tumbled out of her mouth, but Draco answered each with ease, his in-charge demeanor returning now that the ring was in her hands.

"It's to keep you safe," He began, "And it doesn't hurt that it looks good in Ravenclaw blue. I don't want you to end up in such a dangerous situation again, like with the troll the other night. When you wear the ring, it will warn you when danger is near. Otherwise, it's just a normal ring you can wear." Addy's eyes shone, and she slid the ring onto her right ring finger. She was overwhelmed by Draco's kindness and actively had to suppress the urge to reach out and hug him without asking.

"Thank you so, so much Draco!" She gushed, expressing her gratitude with words. "That's really thoughtful of you, and it'll keep me safe. It's amazing what magic can do, isn't it?" Draco just smiled, raising an eyebrow for just a moment.

"Indeed it is," He said, "But I'll tell you what magic can't do: it can't get me to read your mind. You promised to tell me what had you so flustered in class the other day and you still haven't." Addy raised an eyebrow, surprised that he was still on that.

"Oh yeah," She said, "It wasn't really anything, I don't think. I just remember feeling like I was being watched, and the professor was kind of creeping me out."

"He is rather... Well, creepy, isn't he?" Draco agreed, and relief washed over Addy. Somehow, she was worried that Draco wouldn't have felt the same. A calm silence now sat between the two of them, but Draco soon interrupted it.

"Let's get you back to your friends." He said, motioning behind him, "I'm sure they think I've captured and murdered you by now." Addy laughed, shaking her head as they walked back toward the noisy room. Draco went back to his table and Addy began the walk to hers, a light skip in her step. Draco's act of kindness had brightened her evening, and she smiled as she felt the weight of the ring sitting on her finger. She knew better than to go out of her way to mention what had happened to anyone, but knowing Jay's nosy nature, he'd figure it out in a minute, tops.

"Where were you?" Jay demanded as soon as Addy was in earshot. Most of the Ravenclaw table looked up at her return, not bothering to hide their interest. They, too, wanted to know what had gone down outside (they were, after all, the house that valued knowledge, and that included knowledge of school drama).

"What were you doing?" Jay continued bombarding her with questions as she sat down. "What did he say to you? What did he do?" Addy shook her head, smiling as she pulled her chair forward to lean on the table. Before she had the chance to retort with something sarcastic or cheeky, Mei-Lin (who was sitting on her right) quietly leaned over and tapped the ring on Addy's finger with the back of her fork. As soon as Jay saw it, he went silent.

"That's what he was doing," Mei-Lin answered. Not only was Jay at a loss for words, but the collective noise level at the table had dropped to a low hum.

"Why do you insist on making a big deal over everything?" Addy queried, quickly crossing her left hand over the right to cover the evidence.

"We're simply observing a fantastical event taking place," Jay said, rearing up to recount his reasons for why he loved Making a Big Deal Out of It. "Draco Malfoy is mean to literally everybody but you. It simply doesn't make sense."

"Have you ever considered the fact that maybe Draco likes me for who I am? We're friends." Addy countered, resting her cheek lightly on her hands as she looked at Jay.

"Of course you are, and that's why it's a big deal," Jay said. He would have kept going, but thought better of it and didn't continue. "Either way, let's see the ring!" Addy couldn't stop the smile from sliding back onto her face, and she lifted her head and held out her hand. The already pretty jewelry looked beautiful on Addy's hand, and her friends took note of that quickly. The next few minutes were filled with the noise of several Ravenclaw girls clamoring over the ring and asking questions. Addy answered them all as vaguely as possible, trying to keep herself from smiling too widely (which was pointless- everyone could see how much she enjoyed talking about it).

After a while, when the commotion died down, Addy turned her eyes to the Slytherin table. They were clumped together in groups as usual, but one group was larger that Addy remembered it being before. It didn't surprise her at all when some students moved and she spotted Pansy Parkington sitting in the center, gossiping rather loudly. Addy couldn't hear what she was saying, but they did make eye contact. Pansy shot absolute daggers her way, but Addy simply rolled her eyes and turned to her own table.

"What's her deal?" Ellie, a third-year at Addy's table, asked.

"I wish I could tell you," Addy said, shaking her head.

***

"Ah, this truly is the life." Jay leaned back against the wall, propping his feet up on Addy's backpack and stretching out. Addy gave Jay a look, and then pushed his legs off and reached into her bag to grab a book.

"Your feet have all the space in the world," Addy said, gesturing to the expanse of green grass, "Must they rest on my backpack?" She and Jay were hanging out just outside the school walls, wanting to get a breath of fresh air after staying inside to study after breakfast.

"My legs and feet deserve better than resting on the ground, don't you agree?" Jay asked, ignoring the fact that the rest of him was resting on the ground. He jokingly put his feet back on Addy's bag, but quickly moved them when she gave him a look.

"If the ground suits me, then it certainly is good enough for you," Addy commented, raising an eyebrow. She smoothed out her skirt and stretched her legs in front of her, leaning against the wall next to Jay and opening an old copy of The Secret Garden.

"Or, I suppose, you could use your own backpack." Without looking up, Addy made that suggestion and turned a page in her book. Making a noise of approval, Jay began shuffling about to rearrange his position. He had to admit that propping his feet on his own backpack was more comfortable. However, he couldn't pass up the tiny opportunity to annoy his best friend, so he leaned over and rested his head on Addy's shoulder, peeking at the pages of her book.

"What'cha reading?" Jay asked, closing his eyes.

"The Secret Garden," Addy answered absently, turning another page.

"Well, I want to read, too," Jay complained with his eyes still closed, and Addy could barely hide her giggle. She knew he was trying to annoy her, but as she looked over at Jay, she just smiled.

"Would you like me to read aloud?" Addy asked, and Jay nodded against her shoulder.

"Start from the beginning please," Jay requested, "I don't want to miss anything." Smile widening, Addy cleared her throat and began reading aloud.

"When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor..." For an uninterrupted fifteen minutes, Addy read aloud from the pages of her beloved book. Every now and then she would stop to check if Jay was still awake. He never opened his eyes, but every time she stopped, he would say "Continue!" with enough eagerness to make Addy laugh.

"...she was very young, and as she had always been taken care of, she supposed she always would be." Coming close to the end of a paragraph, Addy looked up as she was finishing a sentence. "What she thought was that she would like to know if..." Out of the corner of her eye, Addy saw something moving in her periphery. She looked fully away from the pages, trailing off as she squinted to see what it was. The figure was hunched, and shrouded in the shadows of the trees, but it was unmistakably human shaped. The person was going into the forest, seeming to melt between the darkness that the forest emitted. Addy furrowed her brow, and Jay opened her eyes when he felt her shoulders tense.

"Addy?" He asked, "What happened?" Addy looked down at Jay, and then back at where the figure had gone into the woods.

"Nothing," She reassured him. Not believing her, Jay looked over to where Addy had been fixated.

"Was there something over there?" Jay asked, scouring the expanse of grass and trees for any signs of something unusual. When he didn't see anything, he looked back over at her for confirmation.

"I thought so, but it must have been my imagination," Addy said, relaxing her tensed shoulders. "We are reading about secrets and gardens and nature, after all; my imagination just got ahead of itself." Jay raised an eyebrow, but when Addy opened the book again, he settled right back down and let her odd behavior slip from his memory.

"What she thought was that she would like to know if she was going to be nice to people, who would be polite to her and give her her own way..."


	12. Context

"Mister Malfoy, see me after class," Professor Quirrell's voice sounded so close, it was as if he were speaking directly into his ear. Draco looked up from his desk to see the man standing halfway across the room. They made direct eye contact, and Quirrell simply raised an eyebrow and turned away from him. Even amid the almost deafening noise of his peers practicing various charms or chatting, there was no mistake that Draco had heard the professor speak directly to him over it all.

Once class was over, Draco waited until everyone had trickled out of the room. He sent Crabbe on his way (Goyle was in a different class) and waved Addy a talk to you later wave, as she was hovering in the doorway and looking his way. Once the sound of her footsteps were lost down the hallway, Draco gathered his books and approached Quirrell's desk.

"You asked to see me, professor?" He said, hoping to get this over with quickly.

"Yes, my dear boy." Quirrell stood up. Quicker than a flash, he pulled out his wand and muttered a few inaudible words. Before Draco could even react, the wand was pointed at his chest, a bright light shone in his face, his eyes shut, and his mind went blissfully blank.

"Now, listen to me." Sounding as if he were speaking underwater, Professor Quirrell's voice was invading his mind. "There is a ring which has been placed in your bag. You will find the right time to give it to Adaline Hemmingway when no one is watching. You are to tell her that the ring will keep her safe from harm, and you are to tell her that this is a heartwarming gift from you and nothing more. This will be done in a timely fashion. Understood?" Still unsure whether this was a dream, Draco nodded, his eyes still closed. Somehow, though he didn't know what was happening, it all happened fast, and the information seemed to weave its way into his brain. He understood his instructions perfectly, as if he had thought them up himself. As far as he was concerned, perhaps he had thought them up- what was real and what was not was very unclear at the moment.

"Very well," The voice came again. "Now, go back to your dormitory and hide the ring until you give it to the girl." Draco's mind went dark, and for a moment everything was silent. A blinding light shone in his eyes moments later, and Draco blinked against the harsh sunlight beaming through a large window on the upper walls of the corridor. He realized that he was now standing outside of his Defense classroom, bag open in his hands. Peering inside, Draco saw a small box sitting on top of his textbooks. It was open, and he saw the glint of a dark blue ring. He didn't quite remember how he (or the ring) had gotten there, but he did know he was going to head back to the Slytherin dorms; he had important things to do.

***

Draco bolted upright in his bed.

What an odd dream, He thought to himself, rubbing his eyes harshly.

It felt almost real. The image of Quirrell's face was still plastered in his mind, and he lightly slapped his cheeks as if to clear his brain. The dream had disconcerted him, and for a moment, he looked around to ensure he was still in his Hogwarts dorm room. Ben was snoring above him and Qyrinus had an arm and a leg hanging over the edge of the bed across from him, so he knew he was home.

But still, even with that assertion, the dream continued to plague Draco. He laid awake for an hour before falling into a fitful sleep, spending the rest of the night fighting off semi-waking nightmares. He began imagining giant, dark creatures lurking in the shadowy corners of the room. His platinum hair now seemed to shine like a beacon in the dark, urging imaginary evils to find and kill him. He fell in and out of consciousness, not quite sure what was real and what wasn't, fighting off these dream-demons that wouldn't leave him be.

Draco awoke the next morning exhausted, both mentally and physically. His spirit felt trodden upon and he was oddly unhappy. Most of the previous nights' dreams had melted into one unforgiving, vague nightmare in his head, but the one thing he remembered clearly was the dream about Addy and the Dark Arts teacher. Of course, it was just a dream... but Draco couldn't quite forget the fact that the ring in his backpack looked exactly like the ring he'd given to Addy just a few days earlier.


	13. Rhetorical Questions

Addy knew she shouldn't have done anything, but she just had to give into curiosity. And look where that landed her- in detention. At least she was with Harry and Draco.

Yesterday evening was when it all began. She had sat outside and read to Jay for what only felt like a few minutes, but time had flown so fast that everyone was halfway into dinner by the time Addy and Jay arrived in the dining hall. Addy and Jay had joined the Ravenclaws unnoticed, knowing better than to draw attention to themselves. It was a pretty uneventful dinner until Addy felt the ring on her finger begin to warm up. At first Addy didn't think anything of it, but as the heat became more insistent, she felt like the ring was pulling her to go investigate. Addy excused herself from the dining room and followed the ring.

It felt like the ring was leading her somewhere, and it was- it led her outside the school walls. That should have been her first cue that something was wrong. Addy had slightly bent the rules to sit outside and read with Jay, since no one was supposed to be unattended after the troll incident. However, that was a situation where they were right up against the school walls and could have run inside at any time. Now, Addy felt the ring pulling her toward the forest, where she had seen that hooded figure earlier this afternoon. In her head, Addy tried to fight back, but the ring's pull was ever so insistent, and it overrode her caution. Unfortunately, she only made it but a few steps before a voice called out to her.

"Adaline!" Addy had turned to see Professor Flitwick coming her way. He was on patrol that night, and demanded to know what she was doing heading toward the Forest at night. As if the ring's insistence hadn't existed, Addy completely forgot what she'd been doing out there. She tried to explain that there was something out here she needed to see, but couldn't remember what. There was nothing she could do to make that explanation seem plausible, however, and Flitwick begrudgingly gave her detention for being away from the school grounds.

"I want to believe you," Flitwick had said, "But I can't take your word for it. It seems to be a trend- two of your classmates were caught out here earlier. I believe you'll be joining them for detention here, tomorrow, at 7:30." The next evening, Filch was extraordinarily gleeful as he led Addy, Draco, and Harry down to Hagrid's cabin. He chanted all the way down about how glad he was that they were being punished, and Addy wanted nothing more than to be back in her dorms with Mei-Lin. Filch also informed them that they would be going into the Forest, to help Hagrid with a 'special project'.

"Good luck," Filch had said, smiling and baring a filthy grin. "I'm sure you'll need it, won't you?" And without another word, he walked off.

Now, Addy was standing in front of the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid, Draco, Harry, and Hagrid's dog Fang.

"Alright! Let's be off then," Hagrid said, far too cheerful for anyone else's liking. Addy was trying to make the best of it. Of course she didn't want to go, but she thought better of it and decided that it might be beneficial. After all, with her magical skill and surrounded by the likes of Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, and the strong and burly Hagrid, who could hurt her?

The five of them went into the woods, and Addy had to admit that it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Sure, it was immensely disconcerting to be out in the dark and ridiculously creepy in such a silent forest, but it could have been worse.

I could have been alone, Addy reminded herself, and she looked over at Draco, who was walking next to her. He hadn't said anything the entire trip, but Addy was internally thanking him for getting into trouble with Harry on the same day she had. She still had no idea what the two of them had done, but for once, she was grateful that whatever they pulled was stupid enough to land them here.

"Ah, that's the ticket." Up ahead, Hagrid stopped walking and pointed to the ground. Harry, who had been walking with Hagrid, paused and looked around Hagrid's arm.

"D'y'all see that?" Hagrid asked, his voice rippling through the trees. Addy almost expected to hear birds cry out that he had interrupted the silence, but there was not a sound heard after Hagrid's echo faded. This place was unnaturally quiet, and Addy looked to where Hagrid was pointing to distract herself.

"No," Addy said, trying to peer around his wide frame. "What is it?"

"Unicorn blood," Hagrid said, "And we're on the hunt for more of it." He moved aside and gestured for Addy and Draco to come closer. They both did so, and Addy caught a glimpse of a shiny puddle of silvery liquid on the ground.

"I get detention for the first time in my life, and I have to hunt down a unicorn," Addy mumbled to herself in disbelief. For the first time, Draco made a sound. It was something like a laugh (it was supposed to be a chuckle, but Draco was too afraid to laugh).

"I know what you mean," Draco replied, trying to keep his voice from shaking. "This isn't my first time getting into trouble, but I certainly have never been unicorn-hunting either." There were no more words between them as Hagrid cheerfully announced that he'd found a trail of the blood. For the next few minutes, everyone was quiet. They shuffled through the thick underbrush, taking care not to lose sight of the path or step in any blood. It became a familiar dance, and Addy felt her fear begin to ebb away. Everyone's feet made noise she now recognized, and Hagrid would point to new points on the path for them to follow. It no longer frightened her so much when Fang would run around behind her. Addy had almost forgotten her fear until a sharp noise reached her ears. She froze in place, and Draco and Harry did too. Hagrid, moving faster than Addy had ever seen, reached over and armed his crossbow. He began moving forward slowly, Fang right as his heels. Across the clearing they had all stopped in, a figure began emerging from the trees. Addy could barely believe her eyes when she saw a centaur strut into view, looking regal even in the low lighting.

"Ronan!" Hagrid said, immediately lowering the crossbow. He walked right up to the centaur, greeting him as if they were old friends. The two of them began conversing as if they were not standing in the middle of the Forbidden Forest. Cautiously, Harry looked back at Addy. She shrugged, but the two of them fell into line and walked up to Hagrid, Draco right behind.

"The innocent are always the first victims," Ronan was remarking when the three of them walked up. Addy raised an eyebrow high, glancing over at Harry. What a statement. Just as Addy was about to say something, more rustling was heard and a second centaur stepped into the clearing.

"Bane," Hagrid greeted, and Addy just about lost it. Did Hagrid know every mythical creature living in this forbidden place? "Hello! I was just asking Ronan if he'd seen an injured unicorn in the forest. We've been following a trail of blood for a while now- goes right through this clearing here." He pointed along the trail to where it disappeared in the trees again behind them. Addy, Harry, and Draco all waited semi-patiently for them to stop talking. The centaurs seemed to speak in riddles, never giving direct answers to Hagrid's questions. When Hagrid finally left and the group got back on the trail, it was clear that their conversation had upset Hagrid a little.

"Centaurs are extremely intelligent. Deep thinkers, they are," He explained, "But they do tend to look down on humans. Rarely share what they know with us." Addy could tell Hagrid was about to gear up and talk a lot (frankly, too much) about other magical creatures, but she was saved when she noticed something on the ground.

"Uh, Hagrid," Addy spoke up, smoothly interrupting him, "Look at the blood. Doesn't it look deeper than before?" Pausing in the middle of a deep breath, Hagrid looked down.

"It is more blood. Much more," Hagrid noticed, suddenly very serious. "We must be approaching the unicorn. Ah, but look here!" Behind Harry, Hagrid pointed out a place where the blood's path split in two.

"Alright, we need to cover more ground. Addy n' Draco, y'think you can handle followin' this main path? See if there's anything down there?"

"We can handle it," Draco said at once, and Addy nodded.

"Great, then Harry an' I will take this path." The two new parties split, and Addy and Draco found themselves deeper in the forest. Addy could feel fear creeping up her spine without Hagrid there, but she didn't let it show. Actually, she did a wonderful job masking any fear until they came upon another clearing.

If Addy couldn't believe her eyes over the centaurs, her jaw dropped at the sight now before her. A unicorn lay on the ground, a gaping hole in its side where more silver blood was pouring out. The creature was still somehow so beautiful, and Addy almost felt inclined to go to it, try to comfort it even in death.

"How-?" Addy began to ask, but her voice left her when she looked past the unicorn. The hooded figure from earlier was hunched over the body of the creature, drinking from the gash in its side. Horrified, Addy's mouth fell agape at the sight in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" A deep male voice came from somewhere beneath the figure's hood, and at the same time, Addy managed to choke out,

"What are you doing?" The figure laughed, keeping their face in obscurity.

"Dear child," The voice said, and it made Addy freeze. An unnatural feeling crawled up her back. "You've picked the wrong path, you were supposed to let Harry come down here."

"What are you talking about?" Addy could barely find her voice, and the whispers came in pieces out of her mouth. She looked back at Draco, who was now so pale that the moonlight filtering through the trees made his skin shine.

"Ah, well," The figure's voice continued. He finally raised his head from the unicorn's side, rising to his full height. "I suppose you'll do. It'll only make the boy get here faster if I kill you first."


	14. A Plan Come to Fruition

Even as the figure rose, Addy couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. He cast a shadow over her in the moonlight, and Addy suddenly shivered, as the chilled forest air whipped across her skin. As much as the sight of this figure disturbed her, Addy felt as though she couldn't look away. Every neuron in her mind was telling her to run, and yet she stood still in front of him, unable to focus her thoughts.

"Addy, watch out!" From behind her, she heard Draco yell, and a moment later, she felt him collide with her back. The two of them flew to the left of the hooded figure, landing in a heap a few feet away. As Addy scrambled to stand, she saw that the figure was now holding a wand. Where she had been standing before Draco pushed her, there was a smouldering patch of dead grass, sending smoke into the sky.

"Thank you," She managed to whisper. The two of them pulled each other to their feet. Addy took her wand out of the pocket of her robes, and Draco was now brandishing his wand, too. The figure turned to them slowly, laughing all the way.

"You think those will do any good?" The voice came again, and his wand raised. Addy and Draco jumped away, dodging a lazily cast hex. "You two can barely evade these." For the next few seconds, heavy silence was punctuated only by labored breath as the two first-years jumped and dove to keep from being hit by a hex. By the time the hooded figure stopped casting, they were both out of breath. Draco was on the opposite side of the clearing, his jacket sleeve torn and hair all over the place. Addy wasn't doing much better- her hair had fallen from their pigtails and gone wild, and her robes were soaked from rolling through a patch of wet mud. From the state of them both, Addy knew that it wouldn't be long before they were both too tired to move, and then what would they do? While she still had energy to move and think, Addy slipped her wand back into her pocket and did the only thing she could think of to buy them some time.

"Hagrid!" Yelling with all her might, the gamekeeper's name echoed and rang throughout the forest.

He was sure to have heard that, Addy thought with joy, but her happiness was very short-lived.

"Imperio!" In a single moment, Addy began losing her grip on herself. Even as her control over her body was rapidly slipping, her mind was racing. She recalled something that she had read from a book in the library- the imperius curse was the only one of the three Unforgivables that could be resisted. Addy wondered if her will was strong enough, but she would be nothing if she didn't try.

Addy felt like each of her muscles was being taken from her. It wasn't painful; on the contrary, it felt fine, as if all the weight and worry of the school year was being lifted. Even so, while Addy still had some control left, she tried to hold onto that weight and worry. That book in the library had said that the imperius curse wouldn't be painful, and that made her fight even harder against it. Truly, she would have loved to let go of all that made her anxious. She would have loved to give into the peace that this feeling brought, but she knew in the back of her still-slipping mind that this wouldn't end well if she gave in. On top of that, the look on Draco's face kept her from giving up. Being imperiused didn't feel painful at all, but Addy knew it couldn't look pretty. Physically, she was literally petrified from the spell, but Draco was frozen in place, petrified by fear. She couldn't give up and make that fear any worse for him.

"Why bother fighting?" The voice spoke again, and it was as if Addy could hear him speak all around her. Horrified, she realized that he had made her say it too, that they were speaking in tandem. She was losing this fight.

"Are you going to sit there and do nothing?" The voice asked again, and Addy's voice followed suit, despite her best efforts to fight against the curse. She could see the pain in Draco's face as she spoke- he was staring at her with tears threatening to gather in his grey eyes.

"What a coward you are," Was the next thing that was said, but this time, the hooded figure didn't speak. He was still forcing Addy to speak, and her voice was cold as it rang across the clearing. "Can't even hold your wand steady?" Draco's whole body was shaking as he stood terrified. Addy willed him to stand tall and fight, but she couldn't gain control over her own voice to tell him so.

Suddenly, Addy felt her legs begin to move. Her grip on consciousness slipped even further, but she still fought with everything she had against the curse. Slowly, her body shuffled toward the hooded figure. Disgusted, Addy could only watch as she came to a stop in front of the hooded figure. Without warning, her arm reached out and grabbed hold of the figure's hood, fist clenched securely in the fabric. The hood was thrown back, and Addy would have screamed if she could. The face of Professor Quirrell was pale and gaunt, staring with sinister greed into Addy's eyes.

"Surprised?" This time, Quirrell himself spoke, and a chill rolled down Addy's spine. She fought as hard as she could against Quirrell's hold, but there was no contest.

"You shouldn't be," Quirrell continued. A sarcastic laugh poured from her throat, and she knew it was Quirrell laughing at her. She heard her own voice make the sound, but it sounded distorted, and it wasn't her. The laugh came out in her voice, her pitch, her tone, but there was no soul behind the sound whatsoever. It was the most disgusting, infuriating, and terrifying out-of-body experience she had ever had.

Trapped in her own head, everything sounded hollow. Her legs walked themselves away from Quirrell and into the middle of the clearing. She was now standing across from Draco, and her arm took her wand from her robe pocket again. Immense fear poured through Addy as her arm was brought to eye level, wand pointed directly at Draco. The last thing she consciously saw was terror swimming through Draco's eyes and a bright light shooting from her wand.


	15. Aftermath

Addy woke up feeling more disconcerted than she ever had in her life. All she remembered was losing control of her body, her feet walking themselves toward Quirrell and her wand arm trained on Draco. Her eyes refused to open but she couldn't bring herself to try opening them.

"Hey," She heard a voice call. It sounded far away, like the voice was echoing through an endless chamber.

"Addy?" Realizing it wasn't a figment of her imagination when the voice got closer, Addy peeled her eyes open. To her left and all the way across the room, Harry sat upright in what looked like a hospital bed. A moment later, Addy realized that she, too, was lying in an identical bed.

"Harry?" She asked, still unsure of what was happening. She moved to sit up and felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. It felt as though someone had put a hole through her side, and she muffled a shriek of pain and forced her body into a sitting position anyway.

"Where are we?" She asked, surveying her surroundings and ignoring the throbbing in her side. The feeling of impending doom had not left her heart, and she cast a glance to the side table by her bed where her wand and outer robes lay. She shuddered, noting with the lack of her warm robes how chilly the still air in the room was. The entire room was void of noise of any kind, and it was truly an eerie place to be.

"In the Madam Pomfrey's office," Harry confirmed, voice cutting through the curtain of silence. He smiled gently to reassure her. "We're safe now."

"How did we get back here?" She asked, and an odd look crossed Harry's face.

"Long story," He said, "And I'll make sure to tell you later."

"Where's Hagrid?"

"Safe at home with Fang."

"Quirrell?" Tentatively, she spoke his name, hoping that Harry understood what she was asking.

"Dead," Came Harry's response, and Addy leaned back against the wall, a strange feeling overcoming her. She was relieved that the evil man was gone, but the fact that a possessed dead man had full control over her body less than a few hours ago made her writhe with discomfort... How many hours had it been?

"How many hours was I asleep?" Addy continued the torrent of questions.

"How many days were you unconscious," Harry corrected. "And four." Her eyes widened, and she jerked forward in the bed (immediately regretting that decision). Her side throbbed, and she winced as her hand clutched at her side.

"Four days?" She repeated, incredulous. Her head hit the wall behind her again. 96 full hours had passed since that hellish memory?

"You've been out for quite some time," He continued. "Some people were worried you would never wake up. You have just about the entire first-year class rooting for you, they'll be happy to know you're okay." Harry in that moment knew just what to say, and the thought of her peers' support put Addy's heart a little more at ease.

Another question bubbled up in her throat after a moment, but it got stuck on her tongue. It was painful to ask and left a bad taste in her mouth, and a wave of fear hit Addy out of nowhere, but she asked anyway.

"Did I... Hurt anyone?" She closed her eyes, as if to avoid the answer.

"You didn't," Harry emphasized, correcting her again, "Quirrell did. It wasn't anyone's fault but his, and you aren't to blame, Addy." A few tears slipped out of Addy's shut eyes, hot and insistently pricking at the back of her eyelids. Determined not to let her voice shake but needing to know more, her voice became quieter as she followed up her question.

"Who was hurt?"

"I'm not going to tell you if you're going to blame yourself," Harry responded. In that moment Addy appreciated and respected how good of a friend Harry was being, but she'd be lying if she said his answer didn't anger her.

"Don't give me that, Harry Potter." Addy's voice shook, much to her chagrin, and she opened her watery brown eyes to meet his sharp green ones.

"If anyone I care about was injured by a spell cast from my wand, I need to know." Harry couldn't bring himself to argue with her.

"It wasn't anything bad," He began. "One spell barely grazed my shoulder and I got a small scar. Hagrid was pretty much out of the way, nothing hit him. Quirrell used your own wand to cast a spell on you; I didn't hear what it was, but that's why your side hurts when you move. I saw you pass out and there was a huge gash on your stomach that turned black after he said the spell." Harry answered the question but wouldn't look at Addy when he stopped talking.

"What about Draco?" She asked. Her mind replayed those last terrifying moments of consciousness- his grey eyes wide and filled with terror as her wand pointed at his chest. Harry looked down at his hands.

"Draco asked me not to say anything," He admitted after a moment of prolonged silence. "He wanted to talk to you about it himself." Addy's lungs faltered for a brief moment.

"Did he mention wanting to visit at all?" She asked, not even sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"No," Harry replied gently, "He never does. He just comes in and out. Sometimes he's here for an hour, and other times he just stands outside the door." Addy was doing her best to keep from overthinking his response.

"Do you think he's mad at me?" Addy asked, and despite the sincerity of the question, Harry laughed.

"No," Harry answered honestly, "And if he were, that would be ridiculous. It wasn't your fault."

"That's exactly right, so stop blaming yourself," A familiar male voice demanded. Both Harry and Addy turned to see Ron walking in, Hermione following close behind. A shaky smile sat on Addy's face, and Hermione rushed over and gave her a gentle hug.

"I'm glad you're awake, Addy! We've all been so worried." Addy returned the hug, realizing how much she'd been craving physical reassurance. "Jay and Mei-Lin said they'd come visit later on in the day, by the way." It had been so long since Addy had seen her best friends, and her spirits lifted just at the mention of their names. Hermione sat perched on the edge of Addy's bed, and Ron pulled up a chair and sat next to Harry.

"So," Ron said as he got comfortable, "You mind telling us what exactly happened out there?" With a tilt of his head, Ron gestured out the open window into the forest, then looked back at Addy.

"You're asking me?" She asked incredulously. "I have no idea; apparently, I wasn't awake for the real carnage. Harry won't even talk about what I must've done to Draco, so whatever it was, it was pretty brutal." Hermione started to roll her eyes, but when she saw Addy drop her head and keep her eyes low, she stopped herself.

"Please," Hermione said, "Harry probably made it sound like Draco was near death. He's alive and physically okay, though he may be mentally worse for the wear. Honestly, Addy, I think one conversation with you will put his mind at ease, and he'll be just fine." Addy took a deep breath, nodding. When she really tried, Hermione could be very gentle and quite reassuring, and Addy certainly needed that.

"By the way," Addy asked, sitting fully upright and looking around, "What happened after everything? What did I miss?"

"Oh, nothing too important," Ron began, putting on a fake dismissive tone. "The Sorcerer's Stone is real, but it's been found and Dumbledore destroyed it. Quirrell's dead, and it turns out that You-Know-Who had a hand in that, so the entire year we were being taught by some creepy old possessed guy. The three of us (he gestured to the Gryffindor trio) went into the dungeons under Hogwarts and almost died a lot, but it's all over and that's what matters." Addy looked at him incredulously.

"Man, I missed all the fun stuff!" She cried sarcastically, and they all laughed.


	16. Bravery

Draco sat slumped against the wall outside the Ravenclaw common room. Internally, his mind was a whirling cesspool of questions and apologies... and fear. On the outside his face was blank, betraying none of the emotion he felt within.

He barely knew where to begin. He hated himself for it, but he couldn't bring himself to visit her that day. It hurt him too much, and that awful night's events were still open wounds in his heart. Many questions ran rampant in his mind: 'Is she okay?' 'Is she still in pain?' 'Why is it taking her so long to wake up?' 'Will she be angry with me?'

'Why am I angry with her?'

Truth be told, he was so angry with Addy, and he knew it was irrational. But the fear he'd felt when calling out to her that night was unreal as he listened to her lifeless voice taunt him. Her body moved and bent unnaturally as she lost control, and it was the most terrifying thing he'd ever witnessed. He vividly remembered being frozen in fear, completely unable to move or think properly. It wasn't her fault at all- if anything, Draco felt it was his fault, because Quirrell had used him to put her in danger and it worked. Still, beyond the clear logic and five full days later, he still felt the dull throb of anger sweeping back and forth in his heart.

"How're you doing, Draco?" A familiar voice asked. Draco looked up from the floor and Jay stood in front of him. Draco only shrugged.

"I'm going to visit Addy, did you want to come? I don't know if you were there, but she woke up yesterday and is doing fine." A long moment of silence sat between them. Ashamed, the blonde dropped his head and shook it 'no'. He refused to look up, lest he see the disappointment that was sure to be on Jay's face. This kid, Addy's best friend, had gone to visit her every single day and spent as much time in Pomfrey's office as the nurse would allow. Draco knew, glancing up at Jay's tired eyes and slumped posture, that it wasn't easy. He rubbed at his own swollen eyes, feeling the puffy skin of dark bags underneath. It was grueling, tiring, and painful. And yet, Jay was still going on, taking it day by day, and doing his due diligence to his best friend. Draco had no doubt at all that Mei-Lin was doing the same. Yet he sat here on the floor in front of their dorms, unable to work up the courage to see her that day while Jay was displaying inspiring amounts of bravery. In comparison, Draco felt incompetent for not wanting to see her and guilty for being angry at her.

"Hey." Draco was surprised to feel a hand clap down on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I'm not judging you." Draco looked up, feeling brave enough to look Jay in the face.

"It's not easy to see her like that. I can barely do it," Jay admitted, and Draco stayed silent in shock. He didn't know either of Addy's best friends that well, but Jay had never shown himself to be very emotional. The fact that he was willing to share meant a lot.

"I get it, don't worry." And with that, Jay stood up straight and walked down the hall. Draco felt a surge of real appreciation for him. Typically, Draco found Jay overwhelming, and thus, annoying. However, Addy's situation had brought him closer to her friends, whether they wanted it or not. For the first time, Draco was truly thankful for it. The weight sitting in his chest felt a little lighter, and the burning in his heart dissipated some. He wasn't alone, and he had to remember that.

***

A simple knock on the door had never been so intimidating.

As soon as Draco knocked, he drew his hand back as if the door was on fire and his knuckles had been burned. Through the small window, he could see four pairs of eyes turn toward him. His heart dropped when he saw that Addy almost immediately looked away.

"Come in," He'd heard the nurse's voice call. Draco gently opened the door and stepped inside.

"Another visitor for one of these two?" Madame Pomfrey asked, looking resigned. "It seems their friendship knows no bounds. Just keep quiet, please." She disappeared back into her office, shutting the door behind her. Draco let his eyes linger on her door for a moment too long, because Mei-Lin spoke up.

"Are you okay, Draco?" She asked. He snapped out of it, blinking hard before forcing himself to walk further into the room. Everyone came into view- Harry's bed wasn't visible from outside the door, and Ron was perched at the foot of the bed as well. Hermione, Jay, and Mei-Lin were sitting in a semicircle by Addy's bed. There was an empty chair at the foot of her bed, and it was glaring obvious who it was for. All of them were watching Draco expectantly as he approached.

"We missed you yesterday," Ron said a little sarcastically. Hermione reached over and smacked him, and Jay shot Ron a look, too.

"It's good to see you again," Addy said, dutifully ignoring Ron's comment and her attention fully on Draco. "I hope you're doing okay." A pang shot through Draco's chest.

"I should be asking you that," He replied, ignoring the shame rising in his chest again. Ron's comment hurt, but he couldn't help but feel that the redhead was right- he should have gone to visit yesterday. "How are you?"

"Ah, same old," Addy simply shrugged. "I'm doing just fine." Draco nodded, not saying anything, and an awkward silence roared into the room.

"You didn't answer my question, though," She continued, and everyone looked at her. "How are you?"

"Same old," Draco answered, echoing Addy's response to him.

"Now, that's a lie," Addy immediately called him out. "I can see it in your face. How are you really?" Draco was taken aback. Typically, when he said he was fine Addy never pressed him, whether she knew if he was lying or not.

"I said I was fine," He repeated, but Addy shook her head.

"But do you mean that?" She questioned.

"Addy." From across the room, Harry intercepted the conversation. "Stop doing that."

"Doing what?" She asked, turning to Harry.

"Blaming yourself," Harry replied, and suddenly, it was all too clear to everyone in the room why Addy was so adamant about Draco telling the truth. Harry's bluntness made Addy stop short, and her hands balled into fists.

"Don't criticize me for having feelings, Harry." Addy's response hit just as hard. The other four looked back and forth between the two like a game of tennis.

"I'm not," He assured her. "But I want you to realize that what happened in the forest wasn't your fault. You still haven't said that out loud and I know you're still blaming yourself. I do it, too. I get it." The room was dead silent. Ron, Hermione, Jay, and Mei-Lin stayed seated exactly where they were, but Draco stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, feeling extremely out of place and like he was intruding on something important.

"No, you actually don't get it," Addy responded quietly. Her eyes were fixed on her bedsheets. "You have never once picked up your wand and used it to harm your friends." Draco stared at her, and he felt all the previous feelings of anger toward Addy melt away.

"I get it," Draco said, suddenly speaking up and taking the conversation back. All eyes turned to him. "I know what you mean, Addy." She looked at him with a questioning gaze, and despite his best efforts, Draco felt his eyes begin to burn from the effort of holding back tears.

"You're feeling like you were the one who hurt your friends. I know that all too well; Quirrell used me to get to you, and it worked. I'm still blaming myself for what happened to you. You're blaming yourself for what happened to me. If anyone gets it, I do." He promised her. Addy sniffled, drawing a sleeve across her face to wipe away a few tears.

"Answer me honestly," She began quietly, keeping her voice low, "That night, what did I do to you?"

"Quirrell was controlling you both," Harry began, but Draco cut him off.

"You used the imperius curse," He admitted, "And did this." Draco rolled up the sleeve of his uniform to show a long scar, dark and gnarly, crawling across his nearly white skin. Addy winced, unable to look for too long. Everyone else in the room simply gawked. They all knew Draco had been hurt the worst, but none had seen the scars to match.

"It's not pretty," Draco acknowledged, pushing his sleeve back down, " but it happened."

"I didn't imagine it would be that bad," Addy said. "I'm sorry, even though I know that's not enough."

"I'm sorry, too," Draco said, "Even though this isn't either of our faults. I'm sorry that this happened, I'm sorry you were out for four days. I'm sorry I was so mad at you, even though I had no reason to be." His last apology came out in a whisper, and the room fell into silence once more. Draco and Addy were just looking at each other, unable to voice what they were feeling. Everyone else watched, choosing to stay quiet and respect the moment.

"I think it's about time we stopped blaming ourselves," Addy said after a while, "But it's not going to happen right away." Draco regarded her closely, nodding. He knew that this was her way of closing out the conversation. They had both apologized, which was the only way they knew how to address what had happened, and now they could start leaving the whole thing behind them. The whole room seemed to lighten up with the weight of that conversation gone.

"It won't be easy," Draco agreed, "But we'll figure it out."


	17. How One Argues With Herself

Addy's hands were shaking, very slightly. Her head was quietly pounding, her heart was a one-man band tapping a beat against her ribs.

Mei-Lin had asked her a question over three hours ago and she still didn't have an answer. It was after everyone else had left- Madame Pomfrey had just let her out of the hospital (Harry had gone a few minutes before her), and Mei-Lin was walking with her to dinner. It was a yes or no question, a simple question, a question that she thought she knew the answer to. As it turns out, though, Addy was having a much harder time answering than she thought she would.

"Do you like Draco?" Mei-Lin had asked. Addy didn't know what to say.

"Jay sees it too," She had added in the absence of Addy's answer.

Addy knew good and well that Mei-Lin wasn't asking if she considered herself Draco's friend. What did that mean, Jay saw it too? How on earth could Jay see something that wasn't there?

Was something there?

She was confusing herself more than she thought possible. Before Mei-Lin had presented her with this issue, Addy hadn't even actively considered Draco as anything other than her friend. Draco was just Draco.

He had the iconic platinum blonde hair, always slicked back smartly. He had cold eyes that warmed up when they met her gaze. He commanded a room when he walked into it. He demanded respect from all who spoke to him. He was sweet in secret, and really was a good person when he wasn't trying so hard to keep up the bad-boy persona. Draco actually treated Addy like a friend, which was something he did with almost no one else. He was whip-smart and quick on his feet. He was a damn good wizard and a good friend.

He also, unfortunately, still sometimes showed his mean-spirited side to everyone else. Whenever anyone else tried to retaliate, they either chickened out or let Draco walk all over them. The last time she'd heard him insult someone, he had called them a 'filthy mudblood'. Afterward, she had taken Draco to the side and reminded him that Jay was a Muggle-born wizard and she herself wasn't a pureblood, either. She then very quietly told him that if she ever heard him speak ill of anyone like that again, she would personally make him regret the day he let the phrase leave his mouth. Addy hadn't heard him utter those words since.

This was what confused Addy, the juxtaposition in Draco's personalities. She liked the Draco that she got to see all the time, but he refused to be true to himself when he interacted with anyone else. She'd gotten him to admit (once and only once) that he was indeed projecting his anger onto everyone else, and that his dad's influence on him affected the way he spoke to everyone else. Addy had rightly told him that that wasn't fair, and Draco agreed. Addy knew that Draco was a good person, but he never let anyone else see it. He favored ruling over his classmates with fear.

Even with all of the negative things she knew about Draco, she was still drawn to him. She wanted to show him that it was so much more fun to be known as everyone's friend rather than foe. Draco had a lot of issues, but Addy knew that he was close to overcoming those hurdles and she yearned to be there for him every step of the way.

Addy couldn't shake the growing realization that Mei-Lin and Jay might be right.

"Adaline, are you all right?" Addy snapped her head up. Professor McGonagall had tapped on her shoulder and was standing over her, looking worried. Addy looked around at the now empty dining room.

"Yes, ma'am, I'm okay." Addy was not, in fact, okay. The older woman sighed, taking in Addy's demeanor.

"You don't often space out, Adaline," McGonagall pointed out. "Not in my class, not in anyone else's lectures, but especially not at dinner. Your friends were the ones who asked me to come speak to you; they told me that they both tried to get your attention while they were sitting here, and were both unsuccessful." Addy sat up straighter, staring blearily at her professor, who suddenly seemed much more like a mentor.

"Mei-Lin and Jay asked you to come talk to me?" She repeated. "I... Had no idea, I've been kind of out of it all day," Addy admitted. McGonagall sat down beside Addy, regarding her closely.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Addy looked at her teacher with a newfound appreciation. Professor McGonagall was seen as a ruler with an iron fist. She didn't succumb to emotional manipulation and refused to be seen as anything less than in charge. But here she was, willing to be open with Addy and listen to her.

"Not... Specifically," Addy said honestly, shifting in her chair. The idea of telling Professor McGonagall that she wasn't sure if she had a crush on Draco was terrifying, even if she was being unusually gentle this evening.

"I'm in a spot in which I'm not sure of my emotions," Addy said, trying to make her problem vague, "And I'm trying to figure out what it all means in my head." McGonagall wasn't stupid, nor was she blind. She had the Slytherins and Ravenclaws in class together, and she could guess that Addy might be thinking about Draco. However, she let Adaline keep her privacy, and didn't let on that she knew.

"That's a hard thing to deal with," McGonagall began, "But not impossible. Here's my advice to you- and this is not easy to do- listen to your brain, but follow your feelings. If you're feeling something specific, there's a reason for it. If you don't know what you're feeling there's a reason for that too, and perhaps you should explore new territory." The wise professor had just said so much in so little, and Addy smiled up at her, standing.

"Thanks, Professor!" She ran off and out of the dining room, flying robes disappearing around the corner. McGonagall smiled, and retreated to her office.

Back at the dorms, Addy was sitting in her bed, thinking. She was silent, as everyone else was studying or sleeping, but she simply sat and thought. What Professor McGonagall had said was helpful, but it still wasn't the answer.

Do I like Draco? Addy asked herself once more. She tried not to let the thought scare her and seriously considered it.

Maybe, came the internal reply. She hadn't explored the concept, so she had no idea. The thought of developing romantic feelings for the platinum blonde was frightening and foreign, but intriguing. The Ravenclaw in Addy itched to try and logic her way out of exploring these emotions so far outside her comfort zone, but for once, she ignored it and went all-in on her feelings. She decided to take McGonagall's advice to explore and do just that. She wouldn't answer the question right away- she couldn't. But what she could do was lean into her feelings a little more and explore what romantic interest in Draco would feel like.


	18. Hogsmeade

Nervousness spiked on two opposite ends of Hogwarts. In the Slytherin and Ravenclaw common rooms, Draco and Addy were both worrying. In less than an hour, all of the first-years would be in Hogsmeade, a well-known wizard town and a typical date spot for Hogwarts students whenever they had the opportunity. Draco was no different- he planned to ask Addy to accompany him around town that afternoon. That was the problem though: he hadn't asked yet.

"Narys, what should I say?" Draco asked, confiding in him for the third time in a span of 45 minutes. Narys was one of the two people in Hogwarts Draco truly felt comfortable confiding in. He was two years older, and Draco would never admit it, but he served as kind of a stand-in brother that Draco never had. Not to mention, Narys had half the Slytherin girls crawling all over him. He was coveted after for his good looks and charming personality, so Draco trusted his word on girls.

"Draco, relax," Narys said nonchalantly, looking over at him from across the table. "You'll be fine, that girl is very nearly in love with you." Draco snorted.

"What makes you say that? She hasn't even given me a solid hint if she likes me or not. I'm just hoping." Narys smiled mysteriously, leaning back in his chair.

"Maybe she doesn't even know it; from what you've told me and from what I know, she's pretty smart but a little dense when it comes to relationship stuff. Internally, she probably has no idea she likes you yet." Draco stared at his friend like he was 13 meters off the deep end.

"You're mad, Narys," Draco confirmed, leaning his head back to rest against the chair. His fingers tapped aimlessly against the arm of the chair. "I'm just going to wing it."

On the other side of Hogwarts, a very different conversation was occurring in the Ravenclaw common room.

"Stop." Addy had her ears covered. Her face was flushed and she was curled up in her favorite chair, trying to ignore her friends and everyone else in the common room.

"Stop? Stop recording history?" Jay asked, dramatically raising his voice (much to Addy's chagrin). "You're about to make history as the first Ravenclaw to successfully date a Slytherin!" Addy blushed a little harder, cringing as the people around all quieted down and listened into their conversation more closely. Even though they all had homework to be doing later, every single Ravenclaw in the room was invested in Addy and Draco's potential relationship. Jay was right- a Slytherin and Ravenclaw dating was unheard of. For two of them to be so amicable in the first place was a feat itself, honestly.

"Please don't," Addy pleaded, finally sitting up and uncovering her ears. "You don't even know if he's going to ask me anything." Mei-Lin chuckled from where she was sitting in a chair across from her (Jay was standing behind his usual chair, too excited to sit).

"Of course he's going to ask," She said confidently. "It seems as though the only ones who aren't rooting for you and Draco are you and Draco." At that, Addy stood up, joining Jay on her feet.

"Of course I'm rooting for us!" She exclaimed. Mei-Lin and Jay cracked huge smiles, and the entire room flooded with collective, knowing laughter. Very embarrassed, Addy sat back down.

"I am rooting for us," She repeated more quietly, still blushing. Addy didn't know why she was getting so worked up. There was no official date, and Draco hadn't mentioned anything about one when they spoke just yesterday. The logical part of her brain convinced Addy that she was just letting Mei-Lin get in her head again. Her best friend had an almost Hufflepuff way of making others tap into their emotions rather quickly.

"But?" Jay pressed. "Why is everyone in this room more excited than you?" Addy smiled wryly.

"I'm trying not to get my hopes up," She stated. "As much as I love Draco, we all know how he can get. I can't assume he'll ask me out just because I might... want him to." The entire room began to murmur, and Mei-Lin's mouth dropped open.

"That's the first time I've ever heard you say that," She said, honestly shocked.

"Say what?" Addy asked, looking between her best friends.

"You love Draco?" Mei-Lin asked, and suddenly the room became very quiet. Jay stopped shifting side to side, as if the weight of what Addy admitted suddenly hit him too.

"Well, yeah," Addy said, "I love him, but I'm not in love with him yet. Those are two different things." Everyone's smirks returned. Jay burst out laughing, and someone from across the room yelled,

"Yet?" Addy's face flamed, and she huffed and sat down.

"You know what I meant," She said very quietly. The entire common room rippled with good-natured laughter, and Addy slid further down in her chair.

***

As soon as Addy stepped off the train, her eyes widened. It was a village right out of a picture book, and everything about it was endearing, right down to the moss growing between the cobbled road. Most of the building's roofs were tiled like normal, but some buildings were so old that their roofs were thatched. Those buildings sat low to the ground, like squat, sturdy little bungalows, and they absolutely delighted Addy. Other buildings were much newer- they stood tall and proud, carved signs in their doorways swinging in the crisp air. Warm light spilled through many of the buildings' windows, beckoning the passers-by to stop in. Addy had to refrain from clapping her hands in excitement. She looked around, just breathing in the atmosphere of the whole village.

In her awe of the view, she didn't notice Jay and Mei-Lin leave her side until they were halfway down the street.

"Hey!" She yelled after her friends. Jay turned around with a smug grin on his face.

"Later, Mrs. Malfoy!" He called back. Addy's cheeks flamed as several students turned to look at her. She could hear Jay's laughter echoing down the street as he and Mei-Lin disappeared into the throng of people, and for a moment she considered strangling him.

"Well, they seem spritely this afternoon," A smooth voice noted from behind Addy. She quickly turned to see Draco standing there, leaning back with his hands in his pockets.

"They are, aren't they?" Addy asked, though it wasn't much of a question. The pair stood there for a moment, letting their classmates walk around them. Addy took a moment to look over at Draco from the corner of her eye. A serene look was settled in his eyes, but they were warm, and a small smile sat on his face. His blond hair was ruffled slightly, a few stray locks moving with the wind. He seemed relaxed and completely content, and in that moment, Addy thought him beautiful.

"Walk with me?" Draco asked casually.

"Absolutely," Addy nodded, and just like that, the two of them were off together. Addy looked around curiously as they meandered with the crowd. She was grateful for the beautiful scenery, distracted and re-distracted each moment with a new shop that caught her gaze. She soon forgot her previous embarrassment, and the fact that Draco didn't seem to have heard the 'Mrs. Malfoy' comment only brought her more peace.

"Ooh, the butterbeer shop!" Addy exclaimed, losing her train of thought. She squinted, peering down the road to read the storefront sign.

"'Three Broomsticks'," Addy read aloud, then turned to Draco. "I always wondered how butterbeer tastes. Is it any good?" Draco raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"You've never had butterbeer?" He asked, incredulously. "Isn't your father a wizard?" Addy laughed.

"Sure he is, but he never let me try it when he and my mum had some," She explained. Without another word, Draco took Addy by the arm and gently pulled her down the road.

"Draco?" Addy questioned. She bit back a smile- despite asking, she knew exactly what he was doing.

"No questions asked," Draco declared, "We're getting some." True to his word, Draco strode briskly down the cobbled lane and through the warm doorway of the Broomsticks. He had Addy choose a table for them, and he insisted on going to the bar and getting the drinks himself. Knowing better than to argue, Addy chose a small table by one of the windows, watching the people walk by.

"Butterbeer time," Draco said jokingly, grabbing Addy's attention. She looked away from the window and up at Draco, who was gently placing two very full mugs of butterbeer on the table. He slid smoothly into the seat across from Addy, and suddenly, the atmosphere between them changed.

It was as if the shop had suddenly gotten much smaller, much cozier, as she and Draco slipped naturally into conversation. Addy could have sworn that she chose a table in the open, but it nearly felt like she and Draco were the only ones in the room. The voices around her seemed to get quieter, until she barely noticed the dull roar of the other patrons in the bar. The two of them got to talking for what seemed like no time at all, not realizing that an hour and a half was quickly ticking by.

Neither Draco nor Addy noticed when their friends came in and out, either. Hermione and Harry stopped in to get drinks and would have said hello, but saw them talking and didn't want to interrupt. Ron wandered in a few minutes after them, joining his best friends at the bar after looking at the two with the utmost interest. Jay and Mei-Lin saw the small crowd of familiar faces through the window and went inside (to check on Addy, though they'd never admit it). Narys and his roommate Sam had seen Draco pull Addy into the bar and were curious that they hadn't left yet, so they went into the Broomsticks, too. The two of them ended up meeting Addy's friends and hanging out with them at the bar for a spell. At that point, the pair at the table had drifted closer together, leaned in close to one another, too far gone in their conversation to notice that all of their friends were watching them.

"Oh, it's nearly four," Addy said, lifting her hand from her head. She had happened to glance at the clock on the wall, noticing it was almost time to head home.

"Is it?" Draco asked, turning to look at the clock himself. "I could have sworn it was only two." Addy hummed affirmatively. She looked around the bar, which was much emptier now than when they had arrived. The remaining patrons sat in the back corners of the bar, letting the shadows keep them in obscurity.

"Time flies," She said, trailing off a bit at the end. She would have finished the sentence, but she didn't want to assume how Draco felt. Luckily, he finished it for her.

"When you're having fun, indeed it does," Draco affirmed, and Addy's face broke into a smile. He couldn't help but grin back, the corners of his mouth turning up.

"Come on," Draco beckoned, standing up, "I don't really want to leave, but we should hurry back." For a moment, Addy stayed seated. She stared up at Draco, looking over his features. Even in the dim, honey-colored light, Draco could still see the twinkle in her deep brown eyes. Addy didn't quite know what she was looking for, but she had a strange feeling well up in her heart as she searched through Draco's piercing blue eyes.

Without thinking, he put out his hand. And with no hesitation, she took it.

"Yes, I suppose so," Addy said, sliding out of her seat. "Let's go home."

***

It hit Addy about a week later, when her brain finally allowed her to admit it. She had well and truly fallen for Draco. Hard.

There was something so endearing about him. He was a good friend, one she'd had from her first day. She'd seen him through the good, the bad, and the very very ugly (and the Pansy Parkington). There was still a lot Addy had to learn about Draco, but even the thought of getting to know him on a more personal level warmed her heart. He had his moments, but he was a sweet boy, so much different now than he'd been when they first met. He was less abrasive and now rarely looked to start fights just for the fun of it (unless they were with Harry, that would likely never change). He was a little gentler, more approachable, and slower to anger.

So much had happened in the last year that changed Draco, and while he wasn't a totally different person, Addy no longer had to question her affections and no longer felt the need to disprove her feelings to herself or anyone else. She was almost... proud? as if the idea of liking such a person was something to delight over. The trip to Hogsmeade had washed any worries away, and as opposed to scaring her, it now made Addy happy how easily she and Draco had taken on the day together. She still wasn't sure if that outing had been a date, but she knew in her heart that it was something. That level of emotion could not be faked.

"Hey, Addy!" The sound of Mei-Lin's voice made Addy sit up in her bed. The black-haired girl walked through the door, graceful as always. She gently shut the door behind her and stepped into the room. Addy pushed back her blanket in bed and planted her feet on the floor, stretching her arms up.

"Morning, Mei-Lin," She returned, cracking her back gently.

"What were you up to? You looked deep in thought, and you're usually the first one out of bed." Mei-Lin perched deftly on the edge of Addy's bed, curling one leg up under her body. She sat perfectly straight as she regarded her best friend, trying to get a read on what she was thinking.

"I was thinking about last week," Addy said, almost surprising herself with her own willingness to share. "About Draco, and how I feel."

"And?" Mei-Lin asked.

"And, I think you and Jay were right. You could tell how I felt about Draco even before I could. I do like him, and it doesn't scare me to say that anymore." Mei-Lin's face slowly broke out into a smile.

"I'm proud of you, Addy," She said sincerely, enveloping Addy in a huge hug. Addy returned the hug, pleased. She expected Mei-Lin to start jumping up and down or say 'I told you so', but she was really mature about it. She was just happy, and Addy thanked her lucky stars that she was blessed with a friend like her.


	19. Birthday Girl

Draco was a few minutes shy of panicking.

Before he'd come to a realization, it had been quite a good couple of days. Three days had passed since he and Addy talked for hours in Hogsmeade They had talked all the way back to school as well, and she'd accompanied him back to the Slytherin dorms, where they talked late into the night. Narys had just celebrated his 14th birthday yesterday, and a bunch of Slytherins got together in the common room for a party. However, the problem with this party was that, a whole 24 hours later, it made Draco realize he could have very well missed Addy's birthday. She had never mentioned it, and Jay and Mei-Lin hadn't let on any signs of an important event (and since Addy was friends with nearly all of the first-years, he was sure someone would have mentioned it). So he wasn't necessarily worried he had missed it.

He was worried that he hadn't.

See, Adaline Hemmingway did not strike Draco as the party type. Even though she was a girl (and in his mind, all of them were complicated), she wasn't very complex. He knew she wouldn't want a huge party. But then arose the question- what would she want? It wasn't exactly a simple task to figure out what to do in place of a party. He didn't even know what to get her, even after spending nearly the whole year with her. Draco wanted to prove himself a good friend (one that was worth dating, perhaps) but had no idea how to go about doing it.

"What are you worrying about, Draco?" Narys was leaning over the edge of the bed, the top bunk to Draco's (it wasn't Narys' bed since he lived with his third-year classmates, but that bed was empty for the weekend as Draco's roommate, Benjamin, had gone home for the weekend). His dark hair hung straight, pointing toward the floor as he regarded Draco's demeanor.

"What makes you think I'm worrying-" Draco began, but Narys' arm shot out and pointed at Draco's hands, which were tapping audibly on his mattress.

"You tend to do that when you worry," Narys pointed out. "So start talking." Draco sighed.

"Sometimes I hate how well you know me, Narys," Draco said, and the third-year just laughed.

"Do you want my advice or not?" Narys asked jokingly. "I haven't led you astray so far."

"True," Draco admitted. "Okay. It's kind of stupid, but I'm worried about Addy's birthday." Narys smiled, slightly raising his eyebrows.

"As you should be," He confirmed. "Continue." But Draco sat up, his fingers leaving the mattress and falling still at his side.

"What do you mean, 'as I should be'?" Draco asked, panic spiking a little higher. When Narys got all mysterious and cryptic, it usually meant he was purposefully withholding information.

"I mean exactly what I said," Narys repeated. "Her birthday's soon, and I know you were planning to make it grand." Draco was now on his feet, blanket sprawled across the floor.

"You know the date?" He asked, voice rising. "How did you find that out? Why didn't you tell me?" Narys raised an eyebrow. Rare were the times when Draco showed such intense emotion.

"I happened to overhear it in a conversation between Mei-Lin and Hermione," He revealed, pulling himself upright to sit straight on the top bunk. "And I assumed that you would know. Did you not think her closest friends would know when her birthday is? Did you even ask them?" Draco ran a hand through his hair, closing his eyes.

"I- I thought about it, okay? I don't know. When is it?" He asked.

"April third," Narys said, watching with an apologetic but amused smile as Draco's mouth dropped open.

"That's four days away," Draco pointed out, and Narys nodded and said,

"Yes, sir, it is. What are you going to do about it?" Draco sat back down on his bed, his fingers going wild on the mattress' surface. He had absolutely no idea what he was going to do about it.

"What do girls even want for their birthdays?" Draco wondered aloud. "Mother always got jewelry- pearl necklaces and rings and such, and she seemed to like them. Do you think Addy would be into that sort of thing?"

"Addy's not a 30- or 40-something grown woman with a kid, so I don't personally think she would," Narys pointed out, "And you are not a rich husband. Unless you have a lot of money I don't know about, good luck buying any real jewelry." Draco huffed.

"Right you are," Draco said, leaning back against the wall. "So what should I do?" Narys was quiet for a moment. Draco was about to repeat the question, but Narys answered simply,

"Why don't you just ask her?" Draco gave Narys a look, even though he couldn't see it.

"You think I should ask the birthday girl what to get her for her birthday? Where's the surprise in that?" Narys looked over the side of the bed again, shrugging as he did so.

"I didn't say it was going to be a surprise, and you didn't specify that you wanted it to be, either. But if you asked her straight out, it would eliminate all the worry of if she likes her gift or not. Or whether she wants a gift at all- maybe she just wants to spend the day doing something fun."

"Hm." Was all Draco said in response, and Narys pulled himself back up onto the top bunk. Draco sat on his bed and thought. He had grumbled at first, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that Narys was (as always) so right. It wouldn't be much of a surprise, but it would be so simple to ask her what she wanted. Addy was a reasonable girl, and she'd probably ask for something that wouldn't be too hard for him to achieve. Draco made up his mind- he'd ask her outright, save himself the trouble, and get her what she wanted.

***

"Can I be honest, Draco? Completely honest?" Addy asked. The two of them were together once again, this time in the Ravenclaw common room. By this time, both of Addy's prefects knew Draco and were long past threatening them with the rules. The two of them sat face to face in the far corner, speaking quietly.

"Of course," Draco said, leaning in closer to hear what she had to say.

"I don't really want any physical things for my birthday," Addy admitted, "I just want to hang out with you." Draco sat back and blinked.

"Me? You... Want me for your birthday?" He reiterated. Addy's cheeks warmed, and Draco laughed as she reached over and swatted his arm.

"Well, don't say it like that!" She cried, still trying to keep her voice low. Draco put his hands up in surrender. "But, yeah, kind of."

"I think that can be arranged," Draco said jokingly, pretending to check his schedule to make Addy laugh.

"I do hope you're not too busy for me," Addy continued, playing along.

"I think my schedule is clear! April 3rd is marked down as 'Addy's day'." Addy couldn't stop herself from blushing, and she averted her eyes.

"But seriously," Draco said, sobering up a bit, "Are you sure that all you want is to spend time with me? There's nothing else that you want?" Addy furrowed her eyebrows.

"I don't see myself asking for anything but that in the near future," She confirmed, completely honestly. "There's truly nothing I want more than to hang out with you." As she answered, Addy watched Draco's face. His expression didn't change.

"You're not convinced," Addy noted, and Draco sighed.

"You're right. I'm not," Draco admitted. "I'm used to people saying they don't want anything to be polite, and then I always find out later that they did want something and never said it." For some reason, as he spoke the truth, Draco found it hard to look at Addy.

"Just trust me," Addy said, gently resting one of her hands atop his. "The Hogsmeade trip was one of the most fun times I can remember. Being with you, even if we're doing just this four day from now, will be a wonderful birthday present." Finally, she got him to turn back to her. She smiled, and he smiled back.


	20. Promises

"Happy birthday!" Addy awoke to see all four of her roommates standing around her bed, singing the happy birthday song loudly and very, very off-key. Addy laughed, and not knowing what else to do, she jumped out of bed and joined in on their singing until they were belting the last words out at the top of their lungs. They all collapsed on the floor, laughing in between gasps for breath.

"Thank you!" Addy said once she recovered her speech.

"Of course," Mei-Lin said, "Now open your presents!" The next few minutes consisted of exclamations of joy from Addy as she unwrapped new books from Mei-Lin, an encyclopedia of useful and fun charms from Lyra and Jasmine, and a set of color-changing wand decorations from Aurora.

"Now I've got to hurry and get breakfast, so I can come back here and read and put a new decoration on my wand!" Addy exclaimed, hopping up from the floor.

"I thought you were hanging out with Draco," Mei-Lin said, smiling and splitting his name into two syllables teasingly.

"I am," Addy responded, faking exasperation, "But not until noon. And it's only 10:30, so I have plenty of time!" And with that, Addy wasted no more words and ran down to the dining hall.

Happily, Addy was rapidly eating a hearty breakfast of crepes and strawberries- a perfect birthday meal, in her eyes. She was one of very few Ravenclaw students at her table, but she barely noticed. Addy was looking up and down the Slytherin table, trying to spot Draco. Unfortunately, Pansy Parkington caught her eye. A wan smile spread across Pansy's face, and she turned to the nearest people at her table and began speaking very loudly.

"Oh, I know, isn't he brave?" Pansy said, catching Addy's attention right away. "Going like that into the forest, all by himself."

"Who's brave?" Addy heard one of Pansy's friends ask, just as loudly. Addy's fork had speared a strawberry, but it halted on its way to her mouth when Pansy answered,

"Draco, of course! I lost my necklace during class the other day down at Hagrid's cabin. One of the animals carried it off into the woods, and I was so upset, because it's my favorite necklace. Draco so kindly offered to go and get it for me." Addy completely lost her appetite, and she put her fork down, feeling panic welling up in her stomach.

Draco had gone into the Forbidden Forest? She thought to herself. Is he alone? Is he mad?

With sick smiles, Pansy and her friends watched out of the corner of her eye as Addy put her fork down, got up, and ran from the dining room. Addy bolted, not caring that she could hear the entire Slytherin table laughing behind her back. It didn't matter how much Addy would have loved to turn around and let Pansy have it. The thought of Draco alone in the Forbidden Forest was fearful enough to override her anger.

Addy burst into the Ravenclaw common room, immediately spotting Jay from across the room. Jay looked up at the sound of Addy stumbling through the portrait, and his face lit up.

"Happy birthday, Addy!" He said, jumping up to greet her as she rushed over to him. He was about to start singing to her, but he noticed the look on her face and stopped.

"Addy, what's going on?" He asked. Jay put down the textbook he'd been holding, noticing that she looked extremely panicked. It wasn't often that Addy lost her cool.

"Draco's disappeared," She said, trying to keep her voice low and calm.

"What? Where, how?" Jay asked, standing up.

"He went off into the Forbidden Forest and he hasn't come back yet, and Jay..." Addy was on the verge of a breakdown, and Jay put his hands out to stop her.

"Okay, slow down," He began, but another voice cut into their conversation.

"What's wrong, Addy?" Mei-Lin was walking toward them, and she noticed Addy's expression too. "I was about to come down and join you for breakfast." She came to a stop when she was standing next to her friends.

"Draco's gone, and Pansy said he's in the Forbidden forest." Addy repeated. Without need for any more explanation, Mei-Lin nodded.

"Let's go get Harry, Ron, and Hermione," She said, pulling the two along behind her and heading for the portrait.

"What for?" Jay asked. Mei-Lin barely stopped as she responded,

"The Marauder's Map."

It had taken all of thirty seconds to convince the Gryffindor trio to join their search. Firstly, three Ravenclaws walking into the Gryffindor common room was not just uncommon, but against the rules. Secondly, none of them questioned how the Ravenclaw trio knew the password when they saw Addy's face. And lastly, none of them would let Addy panic and not try to help.

"So what are we looking for?" Harry asked, pulling out the map once they were safely outside the common room. Morning light shone through the windows into the hallway, illuminating the parchment nicely.

"Who," Addy corrected, "And Draco." Harry very nearly recoiled at hearing his name.

"Draco?" He repeated, staring at his friends to see if they were serious. Hermione hit him on the shoulder and gave him a look.

"Please, Harry," Addy pleaded. "If Draco dies and I don't do anything I can to stop it, I will never forgive myself." Harry shut his mouth. He nodded and it got quiet and serious in the group very quickly. As much as he disliked Draco, he'd never consider letting him die.

"What happened?" Ron asked, crouching beside Harry. Addy shook her head, voice surprisingly steady.

"I don't know the full story. All I know is that Pansy Parkington was bragging in the dining room about how brave Draco was for going into the forest to find her lost pendant, or something. I left after that and went back to the common room, it was making me sick to listen to her." Addy recounted, staring closely at the map. "Two other kids are probably with him, too, so look for a group of three." After a few frenzied seconds of six pairs of eyes scouring the page, Hermione pointed to the edge of the forest line, near Hagrid's cabin.

"There," She pointed. Indeed, a group of dots labelled Draco, Narys, and Ben were moving slowly. "Coming toward the school from the direction of Hagrid's." Addy let out a breath she'd been holding, internally beginning to calm down. But she peered closer at the map when the group of dots stopped at the gamekeeper's cabin. A dot labelled 'Hagrid' joined the group, and slowly, the dots moved toward the school. Addy turned to look at Mei-Lin, worry shining in her eyes.

"That can't be good," Addy said. "If they stopped at Hagrid's before coming here and after going into the forest-"

"It's likely that one of them has been hurt." Hermione finished. Without another word, Addy stood up and took off down the hallway. It was all the other five could do to keep up with her as she power-walked (basically ran) through the school. Harry was at the end of the line, watching the group on the map.

"They're coming in the side door right now," Harry called up to the front. "Hagrid's gone back to the cabin." Addy veered off into a hallway she was about to run past, and they all followed. It was a corridor that none of them should have been in, but Addy lost all regard for the rules when the panic set in her heart.

At the end of the long corridor, the door swung open. There stood Draco, Narys, and Ben. None of them seemed to be too hurt- they were all standing upright and aside from a few scratches, appeared to be fine. That didn't stop Addy from running all the way down the hall until she could see for herself that Draco was actually fine. The boys had all been talking to one another casually, but stopped as they heard the incoming footsteps echoing off the walls.

"Addy?" Draco began to ask, but she shut him up with an intense glare when she was less than five feet away.

"Don't you ever do something that idiotic again, Draco Malfoy," Addy said fiercly. She strode up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. Shocked, Draco returned the hug gently, holding Addy against him.

"Hey, no worries," Draco said, his hand drifting deftly through her hair in attempts to calm her down. "I'm back now, all in one piece." Addy pulled away from him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She stood defiantly in front of him, looking both incredibly worried and angry.

"Yes, and I thank your lucky stars for that. But what if you weren't? What if I had to hear from Jay or Mei-Lin, or Harry or Ron or Hermione, or Pansy Parkington that you had been torn to shreds in the Forbidden Forest because of a stupid necklace?" Addy's voice had lowered in volume with every word until it was barely above a whisper. A few tears were rolling down her cheeks as she looked at Draco, etching his face into her memory. She was afraid of losing him even as she stood in front of him.

"The Forbidden Forest? What are you talking about?" Draco asked, now utterly confused.

"I was eating my breakfast alone this morning and do you know what I overheard from the Slytherin table? Ms. Pansy Parkington, loudly proclaiming that 'Draco is so brave, going into the Dark Forest to get my pendant for me'. I don't think you can even begin to understand how sick to my stomach I became hearing those words." She couldn't stop her voice from shaking now.

"Do you know how much the idea of losing you scares me?" She asked. Addy was barely holding it together. It had only been a couple of days since she realized how she felt about Draco, and she truly felt like she could have lost him. The thought was unbearable.

She initiated another hug, this time holding Draco tightly as if to make sure he was really in front of her. Draco hugged her back without hesitation, looking over her shoulder at her friends. Ron, Jay, Mei-Lin, Hermione, and Harry all stood watching them, along with a few other people who'd stopped to watch from down the hallway. Narys and Ben, he knew, were still behind him. Draco was going to explain to Addy that Pansy was a liar; he had gone to Hagrid's to ask if he had seen a necklace Pansy had lost during Care of Magical Creatures. Narys and Ben had gone with him because he was bored, and the only reason he went at all was to get away from Pansy. He'd only said that he was 'back in one piece' because Hagrid just had to show them some of his animals (which resulted in the scratches and scrapes), not because they were exploring the forest. Good explanation or not, though, he knew that wasn't important anymore.

It suddenly struck Draco how much he really had to have scared Addy for this to happen. She had gathered not just her closest friends, but the Gryffindors, too, and combed the school grounds in search of him. If Pansy had said that he was roaming the Dark Forest, Addy had probably thought he was near death, only hoping that she would find him alive. His chest tightened as he held Addy, and a hot, unfamiliar feeling raced through Draco's blood as he stood with this girl in his arms.

He pulled away from her after a few more seconds. Draco stared at Addy, and took in her warm brown eyes and the familiar face he'd honestly come to love. He let his hands rest on her hips, and without thinking, without worrying about the fact that several people were watching him, he kissed her. It was gentle and quick, but Draco had never felt so certain about making the right decision.

"I won't ever put you through that again," Draco reassured her, pulling away slowly. Addy stared at him, eyes wide. Her mouth opened the slightest bit, and then she burst into tears. Sobbing, she let Draco hold her again as she leaned into his shoulder. Addy barely knew what to say. Draco barely knew what to do; Ron and Harry were staring at him with a look he couldn't quite place, Hermione and Mei-Lin were both grinning, and Jay looked absolutely shell-shocked. Vaguely, he had heard a few of the girls who were looking on gasp, and a larger crowd had gathered at the mouth of the corridor without him noticing. Now Addy was crying, and he wasn't quite sure what that meant.

"Do you promise?" Her voice, muffled by his shoulder, was heard after a few moments. Addy slowly lifted her head. Her cheeks were dry now, and a small, shaky smile sat tentatively on her lips. He nodded.

"I promise." And Draco Malfoy had never meant anything more in his life.


	21. Epilogue

"Addy!" Mei-Lin's impatient voice floated up the stairs, and Addy laughed. She could practically see her best friend tapping her foot and rolling her eyes, complaining to Jay about Addy taking too long.

"I'm coming!" She yelled back down. Addy gathered up her books in her backpack and was about to leave the room when she noticed something different. There was a green envelope on her pillow, with fancy black lettering visible on it from where she was standing.

"Has that been there all this time?" Addy wondered aloud. She picked up the envelope and opened it gingerly. A delicate sheet of stationary was inside, and black, rigid handwriting was evenly lettered on the page.

Dear Addy,

I don't really know how to write letters, and I'm not very good at saying this kind of stuff in person, but I wanted you to have it in writing. I really appreciate you, and I want to make sure you know that. You've done more for me that I think you know, and I don't think I could ever thank you enough for that. Even so, I'll try: thank you so much. Thank you for bumping into me on the train on our very first day, because if you hadn't, I don't think I'd be here writing this letter to you now. Thank you for being my friend and sticking with me even when I was being a jerk. You helped me realize that I can be better than that, and I'd like to think that I have become better than that. Thank you for reassuring me every time I get nervous, thank you for helping me with my homework, thank you for everything.

Most of all, thank you for still being my friend even after the whole thing in the Dark Forest. I was so shaken by the whole thing and I didn't know what to do, but you helped me realize I didn't have to know. You were there for me, and that was more than enough. You helped me forgive myself.

I suppose I should end this letter now, but I don't really know how to do that, so... I'll see you later!

-Draco

There were tears in my eyes when she finished reading the letter, but Addy noticed that there was still something in the envelope. She turned it upside down, and a sapphire ring fell out of it and onto her pillow. She was confused when she picked it up, but a smile broke onto her face when she read the engravings on the inner side of the band:

'No magic whatsoever - for my favorite witch in the world'.


End file.
